Most people, in the United States, have an opinion about our government – whether it be the Federal Government, their State Government or their local government. After serving 30 plus years in government I know opinions about government change: they change from year...
Information Governance: The Accepted Standards
No Matter Where You Go, There You Are If you’ve been keeping up with these articles you have an understanding what Information Governance is and the team you need to get the job done. Next you need to understand the current state of your organization’s information...
Public-Private Partnerships: Leverage for Local Economic Development
Some may regard P3s as the solution for economic growth and development issues facing governments, while others are skeptical regarding their efficacy and desirability. I always exercise caution when applying a one size fits all approach to public policy requirements....
Following OPM’s REDI Roadmap
Are you REDI? The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) asked that question in their recently launched REDI Roadmap initiative. REDI is an acronym that stands for recruitment, engagement, diversity, and innovation. The concept behind it is to build a federal workforce...
Reducing the Cost of Government Contracts Starts in the Classroom
When many people think about government contracting, stories about hammers or toilet seats purchased for use by the military and costing thousands of dollars and huge project cost overruns is often what comes to mind. Are excessive costs typical? Over the last few...
Money Vs. Welfare: The Government Role
Today there are very few things money can’t buy. If we’re sentenced to a jail term in California, we can actually buy a prison cell upgrade. And in Washington, long queues form for key congressional hearings. To avoid waiting in the rain, lobbyists pay companies to...
Information Governance Insights: Part 2
In last month’s article we laid out the basic framework for understanding what Information Governance is and what we are trying to accomplish with a program. The next step in the process is for the Executive Champion to bring together the key individuals that deal...
Changing Landscape in Local Government
During a recent conversation with a peer and Master of Public Administration student, I realized there is a predicament in municipal administration. For soon-to-be MPAs, there is concern among some who would like to be city managers but are not interested in the...
Efficiency Initiatives in Local Government
In a May 2012 Wall Street Journal article, Leslie Kwoh warned that the term “innovation” was at risk of becoming cliché. To support her observation, she provided a number of examples, the most astonishing of which was a 64% increase in the number of times the word...