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Jack Schnirman
Former County Comptroller | Nassau County, NY

Open Nassau: Nassau County’s Transparency Hub

Idea Category: Smart Government

Problem

Under previous administrations, Nassau County received a D+ grade in transparency in the face of multiple corruption scandals. In 2018, Jack Schnirman was elected County Comptroller with a promise to clean up local government, break up the backroom deals, and restore public trust in our institutions by allowing every member of the public to see how government operates.

Solution

Open Nassau includes a series of open-data web portals that explore different aspects of the County finances. Open Checkbook first launched in January 2019 and allows the public to see how Nassau County pays the tens of thousands of bills to vendors through a searchable platform. Open Payroll gives the public an opportunity to explore how the County’s payroll is distributed across departments and titles. Open Budget and Open Finance provide easy-to-understand breakdowns and summaries of the County’s approved budget and end-of-year finances, including the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. These platforms work together in tandem to make information more accessible to the public.