Watchdog.org Podcast

This is “In Our Backyards,” Watchdog.org’s podcast that examines local government — because the government that is the closest to you often can be the most important, even if you don’t hear much about it. We’ll look at city councils, school boards and even water treatment authorities, because local officials can waste your tax dollars as easily as Congress can waste them. In this week's episode, host Eric Boehm chats with Watchdog reporter Andrew Staub, who authored a multi-part investigative series on nepotism in the small town of Throop, Pennsylvania. Staub had to fight with local officials to get even the most basic information about who was on the town's payroll.  The officials had good reason to hide what they were doing – most members of the borough council have direct relatives working for the borough, a clear violation of ethical guidelines – but the case shows where there might be some problems with how Pennsylvania's open records law works.