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“The law doesn’t know what party anybody is. It has no clue. And if you stick to the law, you’d be surprised,” Allen said. “You’ll catch a whole bunch of people on both sides of the aisle.”

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Kirk Allen and John Kraft started Edgar County Watchdogs, a government-accountability nonprofit, in 2011. By appearance, it is a humble operation – Allen and Kraft are the group’s only employees. Edgar County is smaller than most Illinois townships.

In terms of impact, however, the Watchdogs punch well above their weight. Allen and Kraft’s investigative work has resulted in 186 indictments, 28 convictions, and the removal of 425 officials and bureaucrats from public office. They’ve successfully lobbied for a dozen new state transparency laws. They terrify the state’s most corrupt officials. For all their success, their approach is straightforward.

“We’re using their laws,” Allen said.

Illinois’s Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information Act are Allen and Kraft’s legal weapons of choice. OMA gives citizens the right to participate in public meetings and promotes transparency in the deliberative process. FOIA gives the public qualified access to government information on request. Both allow Allen and Kraft to hold local governments accountable and to publicize official misconduct.

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Huh. I'd like to know how they get their info. My fair city could prolly use a good housecleaning. But I wouldn't be surprised if "they" kept two sets of books (FREM found the other set in HIS city) and you'd need a PI and hacker just to dig up the dirt.

I'll look into their methods, thanks for the post.

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