By Breanna Francis, The Journal of Martinsburg
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — West Virginia State Auditor John B. McCuskey said during a visit to the Eastern Panhandle Wednesday that a newly launched transparency site project aims to support small municipalities in the Mountain State and give the public ready access to information regarding the money the government spends on their behalf.
Dubbed “Project Mountaineer,” McCuskey said transparency as a general idea is something he campaigned on a few years ago when he ran for office and has continued to prioritize since gaining office through the creation of the site.
“The idea is that all of the money that the government has and spends is (the) people’s money, and so to give them the opportunity to see how its spent, I think is simply part of the duties of our office and government in general,” McCuskey said. “So we developed what we believe, and others believe, is the best transparency portal in America. As far as state spending is concerned, every person in West Virginia can now see how their money is being spent in real time. They can also see how the revenues are coming in real time, which is equally as important. But the thought is if people are going to go vote and decide who they want to be their representative as the auditor or delegate or senator or governor, it’s difficult for them to make that decision if they don’t know what their government’s doing.” …
