Taxpayers Can Now Track Gov. Wolf’s Cabinet Members’ Expenses

May 13, 2015

By Rachel Martin | PA Independent

Transparency has gotten more clickable, as Gov. Tom Wolf announced this month that his cabinet officials’ expenses are now online.

Spokesman Jeff Sheridan told Watchdog.org that Wolf’s expenses won’t be on there, but only because “it’s his personal policy, that he doesn’t submit for reimbursements.”

“If that changes, we’ll discuss it,” said Sheridan.

The expenses tool is one item on the transparency page of the governor’s website. It’s surprisingly easy to navigate, and users can sort data by month, agency, person’s name or type of expense.

“The governor is committed to restoring the public’s trust in government,” Sheridan said. “This is just another step that the governor has taken to ensure transparency and openness in government.”

In March, 23 of these officials submitted $19,657 worth of expenses. Secretary of Banking and Securities Robin Wiessmann was the month’s biggest spender, at $2,169.

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale was Pennsylvania’s first statewide elected official to post his expenses online. His posted expenses date back to 2013, when he took office.

DePasquale’s boasted that even he sleeps on his mom’s couch when he’s in town, to save taxpayer money he’d otherwise spend on hotel costs.

“We’re the ones that are critical about people not being accountable, so we try to practice what we preach,” DePasquale told Watchdog.org in February.