Bradley Campbell, who reports for Boston-area public radio station WGBH, filed a Freedom of Information request with MuckRock to get the log of contracts and agreements that the Boston Housing Authority made in 2010. The BHA, which is Massachusetts' largest landlord, stated that releasing this log would cost $70 in fees.
The log would allow greater transparency into the Boston Housing Authority. It would show what organizations and companies benefit from contracts with the largest public housing authority in New England. It would also provide greater public oversight of the bid process, and look at how money flows between the private and public sectors.
In addition to covering the estimated $70 costs and potential overrun, this money will fund mapping out where the contract money is going and will allow publicly posting the documents on MuckRock, a resource reporters, bloggers and others can cite and base further reporting on.
