Adam Andrzejewski, the founder of the government spending watchdog group Open The Books, passed away in Illinois at the age of 55 over the weekend.
Andrzejewski (pronounced an-gee-eff-ski), came to prominence in Illinois during the Tea Party movement and soon launched a short campaign for governor in 2010. However, he is best remembered for his crusade to bring transparency to the government and curb out-of-control spending.
The Burr Ridge resident founded Open The Books in 2011 to bring transparency to government spending and, by 2014, became the first to publish all disclosed federal spending, including salaries, contracts, grants, direct payments, and farm subsidies. The following year, the group added state spending reports, as well.
According to the organization:
Under Andrzejewski’s leadership, Open The Books grew into America’s leading nonprofit dedicated to exposing wasteful spending and preventing corruption. It is the nation’s largest private database of public spending. In 2023 alone, the organization filed 55,000 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, capturing nearly all federal spending, the checkbooks of all 50 states, vendor checkbooks from 17,000 municipal governments, and 25 million public employee salary and pension records from 50,000 public bodies across America.
On Monday, the nonprofit’s board of directors released a statement saying that Andrzejewski’s passing was not only a loss to his family but the entire nation.
Adam was devoted to bringing transparency to government. He walked away from business 15 years ago with a singular idea: hold government accountable to the taxpayers it serves. He founded OpenTheBooks to accomplish that task. He was a happy warrior. Under his leadership, OpenTheBooks has become a highly respected well-known brand. His death is a loss not only to his family and his organization but the nation.
Adam’s belief in the power of transparency to transform government and hold it accountable at every level is the driving force behind our work. His relentless pursuit of open records and forensic auditing has set new standards in the fight for government transparency.
Adam’s dream was to spark a transparency revolution. The result of his leadership is a well-oiled machine that operates at enormous scale and efficiency, dedicated to posting “every dime online,” in as close to real time as possible. The organization now generates tens of thousands of media mentions, and our work is cited in dozens of Congressional hearings, oversight letters, and bill introductions each year.
Guided by the dedicated team he built, Adam’s vision will guide us forward and inform our work in the years to come. We are more dedicated than ever to helping taxpayers hold government officials to account for their spending in a way that honors both Adam and our honorary chairman, the late Senator Tom Coburn.”
“We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, Kerry, and his daughters,” the statement added.
Tributes to Andrzejewski’s legacy have poured in.
“Saddened to hear of the passing of Adam Andrzejewski,” said Republican former Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey:
I was first introduced to Adam in 2010, when he ran for governor. He went on to found “For The Good of Illinois”, inspiring people all over the state to get involved in local government. He then founded “Open the Books”, which is now the primary go to source for wasteful government spending. Adam was 55, and hands down the healthiest person I knew!
Illinois conservative activist and insurance expert C Steven Tucker added:
I still can’t believe this is true. Adam was a friend, colleague, client and a true American patriot. He stood shoulder to shoulder with myself and so many of the founding members of the great American Tea Party movement. My sincerest condolences to his family. Rest in peace, patriot. THANK YOU for all you did for all of us.
Andrzejewski had just shared the news of his father’s passing in November 2020. The activist and businessman leaves behind his wife, Kerry, and three teenage and young adult daughters.
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