* Dear State Board of Elections,
Your website still sucks.
The Illinois State Board of Elections’ site continues to be a horror show. Remember this e-mail from Executive Director Dan White after our last round of complaints almost 17 months ago?…
In response to comments about problems with the SBE website, we hear them, we are aware of these issues and are working hard to establish both near term and long term solutions. Suggestions are always welcome and we continue to incorporate constructive recommendations to improve the website. Our goal is to provide access and avaiability to all of the thousands of users who rely on our information systems. As with any new system, there are new problems and issues to be addressed and resolved. Please continue to comment and utilize our website.
We will have significant improvements in place shortly and we look for your comments as we continue to implement these changes.
Thank you,
Dan White
Executive Director
We still can’t open links in new tabs. Visited and unvisited links are the same color. The Javascript-laden site continues to cough up “cookie timeout” readings and other major problems. For instance, using a Firefox browser I am having trouble reloading a page to see if it’s been updated. More often than not, a more recently opened report from a different candidate appears in its place. Hugely frustrating.
The Board has been promising to upgrade its site since at least December of 2006.
This is absolutely unacceptable behavior.
* Dear Rep. Jack Franks,
Raising $1.2 million of your $1.3 million over the last six months from just six people including yourself, doesn’t bode well. And then there’s this…
Eileen Franks, Eileen, Occupation: retired, Marengo - $450,000
Herbert H. Franks, Occupation: attorney, Marengo - $250,000
Deborah Franks, Occupation: housewife. Marengo - $200,000
That last name looks awfully familiar.
Are you planning to show soon that you can raise serious money outside your family and a couple of rich friends?
* Dear Sen. Bill Brady,
Do you remember saying this back in mid-May about Gov. Quinn’s campaign making fundraising calls to lobbyists?
“We are in the closing days of a legislative session centering on a budget and the need for serious ethics reforms,” Brady, of Bloomington, said. “This kind of fundraising effort has no place in Illinois today or any day.”
Do you find it at all ironic that you were also raising money from Statehouse interest groups at the same time you were blasting Quinn for doing so?
Also - and I know this is contrary to what I just wrote - but are you ever gonna show you can raise the big bucks? $250K in six months? Huh?
* Dear Senate Republicans,
Have you ever heard of copyright law?
The Senate GOP Caucus is posting and permanently archiving entire newspaper articles and columns on its government website. That would be a serious no-no.
* Dear Gov. Quinn,
Although some might say traveling to Iraq is less dangerous than staring down Speaker Madigan, please, try to keep your lid on and your head down and come home safe. Those bombs and bullets are real, man.
* Your turn.
…Adding… Dear Sen. Matt Murphy,
Many Republican pals of mine claim you have big bucks behind your gubernatorial campaign. Are those big bucks actually large male deer? I ask this after reading your latest campaign finance disclosure…
Total Receipts $21,057.15
Dude, kick it in gear.