Transparency for everyone

Transparency. It’s a word we’ve heard a lot from Lansing over the past several years, but what does it really mean?

To me, transparency means telling the truth to my citizens, keeping them informed about the policies I support, and ensuring their tax dollars are used fairly and responsibly. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I’ve been clear about my plans to lower taxes for Michigan families, improve our roads and infrastructure, and invest in public safety.

Last year, however, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued opinions redefining what they believe transparency should look like — particularly for legislators. According to Attorney General Nessel, every bottle of water a lawmaker drinks at an event, every conference ticket purchased, and every legislative dinner attended must now be logged and reported to the secretary of state. Legislators have been given a deadline of May 15 to report nearly every detail of their personal, professional and financial lives.

Meanwhile, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) have spent recent weeks traveling through Europe and the Middle East, negotiating with foreign entities using taxpayer dollars — without the same level of scrutiny.

Taxpayer-funded giveaways are not new for this administration or the MEDC. Over the years, billions of dollars have flowed into the agency with little to show for it. The state promised that these investments would create more than 123,000 jobs in Michigan over the last two decades. Reports show the MEDC’s actual success rate in job creation is less than nine percent.

In the private sector, a nine percent success rate wouldn’t cut it.

To make matters worse, the MEDC has a troubling history of dodging Freedom of Information Act requests. On the rare occasion information is disclosed, we learn things like $20 million grants going toward items such as $4,500 coffeemakers. Yet the attorney general has remained largely silent— aside from announcing more than a year ago that she would “investigate” an isolated incident, which never materialized into action.

So, I ask this: If we’re going to investigate every bottle of water a lawmaker drinks and every family dinner we attend, why isn’t that same level of scrutiny applied to the governor and the state’s corporate welfare programs?

There’s nothing wrong with transparency — it’s overdue. But the kind our constituents are asking for goes beyond receipts for diet soda. They want transparency in how their money is spent and accountability for how their trust is used.

We still have a long way to go when it comes to fiscal responsibility. If the state is serious about transparency, then it should start with the people handling billions in taxpayer dollars — not just the ones drinking coffee at a conference.

Donni Steele

State Representative

District 54

(House district 54 includes Bloomfield Townshjp and part of Bloomfield Hills)