Editorial: Government by the numbers

The charts with bold colors and graphs with statistics highlighting social worker visits logged and calls answered and soil eroded and oysters hatched can no doubt help state agencies manage their people and money more effectively.

And we applaud Gov. O?Malley for making it easier for citizens to access the inner workings of state government by placing statistics on the Web at www.statestat.maryland.gov. Anything that makes it easier for Marylanders to hold their government accountable benefits taxpayers.

But StateStat is no substitute for leadership.

It may tell the analysts that the $1.4 billion in new taxes passed during the special session are being collected ? but not whether legislators should have passed them or even considered them. And it may tell agency heads that certain workers are overachieving or slacking, but it cannot reward or fire employees. That is up to managers.

So it is no savior.

And as the author of the O?Malley Watch blog points out, the charts shown on the Web site do not show real-time tracking but monthly or yearly statistics ? hardly the most “timely and accurate information necessary” for citizens to hold state government accountable. And so far the biggest state agency, the Department of Transportation, is not participating in it at this point.

But it?s a good start to the new year. And a tool that can be applied to eliminating waste ? and possibly new taxes ? in this legislative session and in years to come. To make the program even more effective, we?d suggest tracking the Department of Legislative Services audits. The reports regularly highlight waste and fraud and could provide a cheat sheet for legislators on easy ways to eliminate fat from the budget. Monitoring the audits would also make it easier for legislators to hold accountable problem agencies and repeat offenders.

Adding the audits would show efficiency and transparency are more than just mantras but top priorities for the governor and legislature.