According to Shaw, the online check register represents a major step forward for "a county that has always been at the back of the line when it comes to transparency and reform."

Times of Change

In the wake of a stunning upset in this year's Cook County primary election, the online check register underscores the recent push for change in local politics.

On Feb. 2, Toni Reed Preckwinkle, an alderman for the 4th ward of Chicago defeated a well known incumbent, the county's clerk of the Circuit Court and the Water Reclamation District commissioner to win the Democratic nomination for county board president.

"After 18 years as a public servant, I think now is the time to make some changes," Preckwinkle told the Chicago Defender, which noted that a general election victory for Preckwinkle would make her the first elected female Cook County Board president.

Moving forward, Peraica wants to enhance transparency efforts even more. For instance, he plans to create a database that correlates political donations from vendors with county contracts so residents can compare figures. He also hopes to enforce the transparency of minority contracts to make sure companies are not just using minority companies for "window dressing."

Lame duck County Board President Todd Stroger launched a number of reform initiatives "in the face of blistering criticism for running an inept and corrupt administration," Shaw said. Initiatives such as the online check register were created to respond to enduring public demands for transparency, Shaw added, but they didn't come in time to save Stroger's besmirched political career.

"He will be out of office by the end of the year," Shaw said, "but his legacy will include efforts to get with the program even if they were a day late and a dollar short."