Orr unveils online database of financial disclosure statements

• Reprints

Updated: June 21, 2011 9:54PM

Cook County Clerk David Orr Tuesday unveiled a new online database of “Statements of Economic Interests” filed by elected officials and public employees in Cook County that is aimed at shedding light on potential financial conflicts of interest.

Until now the county’s SEIs — part of a statewide mandate requiring financial disclosure by elected leaders and high-ranking public officials — were documented on paper and copies were only available by request, according to Orr’s office. Now Cook County distinguishes itself as having the first SEI online database – not just a PDF - in Illinois

While a step toward greater transparency — anyone with a computer can go to cookcountyclerk.com to pull up the database — Orr said in a statement, adding that of the 24,000 economic interest statements filed, only 3,145 filers or 13 percent provided an answer to at least one SEI question.

The problem, he says, is the vague nature of the 8 questions on the disclosure filings.

That includes question No. 1: List the name and instrument of ownership in any entity doing business with a unit of local government in relation to which the person is required to file, in which the ownership interest held by the person at the date of filing is in excess of $5,000.00 fair market value or from which dividends in excess of $1,200.00 were received during the preceding calendar year.

Next up, according to Orr, streamlining the questions and taking out some of the bureaucratese.