By Bradley Vasoli A government-reform nonprofit is urging Delaware lawmakers to reverse course on their plans for Legislative Hall expansion, renovations, and garage construction. The Delaware Coalition for Open Government (DelCOG), an organization of activists, politicians, and journalists founded in 2006 to advocate state-government accountability and transparency, sees the Dover project as too pricey for too little public benefit. Delaware’s …
Government transparency advocates say there’s no reason in 2022 that public information should be as difficult to access as it is in Delaware. “At the root of democracy in Delaware and in the United States is citizens’ access to government information — and not just access, but easy access,” said Charlie Copeland, co-director of the Caesar Rodney Institute’s Center for …
With weeks to go before the first votes are cast in Delaware’s 2022 election cycle, advocates for government transparency are pushing for better campaign finance reporting. Common Cause Delaware, a nonprofit group that lobbies for open, honest and accountable government, has called for more frequent and detailed reporting of campaign funds collected when candidates run for office. “It’s common knowledge …
Two lawmakers on opposite sides of the political spectrum have found common ground in their desire to increase transparency and accountability in state government. A bill filed by Rep. John Kowalko, D-Newark South, and Rep. Mike Smith, R-Pike Creek, would establish an independent and nonpartisan inspector general office in Delaware. The proposed office would investigate state agencies to identify and …
State Sen. Darius Brown seems to be the latest in a line of Delaware legislators who take jobs with organizations that receive state funds voted on by the General Assembly. Brown, D-Wilmington, has been hired as executive director of a group focused on reducing recidivism in Wilmington. He is expected to go to trial in three months on charges relating …
The House Ethics Committee will meet Friday. Photo by Brian K. Leonard. September 2021 An ethics complaint against a Wilmington state representative likely will be the topic of discussion at a House Ethics Committee meeting Friday, and a watchdog group says the secretive government meeting should be public. Rep. Gerald Brady, D-Wilmington, was discovered in July to have sent …
Among those receiving money from the state’s Community Redevelopment Fund this year are the Delaware Agricultural Museum, Brandywine Valley SPCA, Nanticoke Indian Museum and FAME Inc.’s STEM training lab. The Delaware Office of the Controller General is developing a standardized application for non-profits to request state grants from the 2023 Bond Bill’s Community Redevelopment Fund. It will change the customary …
