AUGUST 3, 2011

Nancy A. Waters Honored for Promoting Transparency & Accountability

Muskegon County Clerk Nancy A. Waters will be honored in Muskegon on Tuesday, Aug. 9 for her work promoting openness and transparency in elections, announced Secretary of State Ruth Johnson today.

Waters created a searchable, online database of campaign finance records dating back to 2007 that allows members of the public to see how much money elected officials in the county collected and spent while running for office and who donated to their campaigns.

"Ms. Waters' efforts help hold public officials accountable to the people they serve," said Johnson. "We applaud her efforts and the efforts of other clerks across the state to provide easy, convenient access to public records."

Ms. Waters stated: "I am honored to receive this acknowledgement. Secretary of State Johnson has been a leader in transparency in campaign finance."

A representative for Johnson will present Waters with a special plaque honoring her achievements during the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners meeting, which begins at 3:30 p.m. at the Michael E. Kobza Hall of Justice, 990 Terrace Street, 4th Floor, in Muskegon.

Prior to the new system, which was implemented in March by Waters, anyone who wanted to search campaign finance records had to go, in person, to the Muskegon County Clerk's Office to search records and pay for copies. Today, online users can access records and print copies for free.

Johnson implemented a similar system while serving as Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds, a position she held prior to her election as secretary of state in November 2010.

"This is a priority for me -- transparency and openness in government are crucial to democracy," Johnson said. "I'm grateful to Ms. Waters and her staff for implementing this system, which allows users and the media to see who is making donations to local, school and county political candidates."

The system was designed by Consulting Engineering Associates, a Michigan company. Computer users can access the campaign finance records at http://muskegon.mi.campaignfinance.us or through a link on the Muskegon County clerk's website, www.co.muskegon.mi.us/clerk. Users can search by candidate or committee name, by office or from a list of local jurisdictions.

For information about the Secretary of State's Office, visit our website (www.Michigan.gov/sos), and sign up for the official Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/Michsos) and Facebook updates (www.facebook.com/Michigansos).

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For media questions, please call Tracy Ward at (517) 373-2520.