Here’s what happened with an experiment I ran with the new council members in 2016.

In Florianópolis, each council member had a gross monthly budget of R$15,759.66/month to hire between 4 and 10 advisors.

To promote transparency and public participation, in early November 2016, I sent an email suggesting they adopt an open and transparent selection process. The goal was to avoid political favoritism, foster accountability, and give well-qualified individuals a fair chance at these positions.

But this wasn’t just any email. I included a “reading check” to track how many times the email was opened and who actually read it. The results? Some politicians opened it multiple times, while others didn’t even bother.I also tracked the response rate; let’s just say I’m still waiting for answers from most of them.

Do you still remember who you voted for? Why not ask them to publicly share who their advisors will be and what roles they’ll have? Transparency starts with us.

(Original posted in portuguese)