Mayor Daley is keeping mum about the Chicago’s stimulus wishlist. And his excuse for keeping the information under wraps sounds strangely familiar.

Late yesterday, he told reporters that while the city had already prioritized potential shovel-ready projects, he did not plan to release the list, as hundreds of other cities have done. “We did not put that out publicly,” he said, “because once you start putting it out publicly, you know, the newspapers, the media is going to be ripping it apart.” He went on to assert that New York City has kept mum as well. But while it’s true they haven’t released their list fully, the Big Apple has disclosed their top priorities, as recent news reports indicate.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard Daley claim that the media has forced him to keep public information under wraps. Last July, he used a similar rationale to explain his opposition to releasing police misconduct data.

In the case of the stimulus, releasing the details of the city’s massive government proposals is a simple matter of transparency. If we don’t know what might be targeted, how can taxpayers ensure the state and localities spend their funds on projects that benefit the public? Will new roads be prioritized over transit, for instance, even though the region’s long-term security requires intense investments in mass transit infrastructure? Meanwhile, President Obama has already signaled that he will impose a 180-day limit for using the new money, so there will be virtually no time to analyze where the money will be directed once the bill is enacted.

We’re not badgering Hizzoner just for kicks. We’d simply like to see Chicago spend these crucial resources effectively.