Zach Patton

Recent Articles

• Promoting Road Safety in New York City via Haiku and Pop Art
• Feb 1, 2012
• New York City streets are getting a little more literary. The city Transportation Department has partnered with an artist, John Morse, to create a series of graphic, pop-art signs encouraging drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to be more careful.

• Dearborn, Mich. Sells Florida Apartment Building
• Jan 1, 2012
• In what may have been the only arrangement of its kind, the Midwestern city owned waterfront vacation property in Florida. The sale of it added $6 million to this year’s budget.

• The Boss of Boston: Mayor Thomas Menino
• Jan 1, 2012
• Boston's longest-serving mayor has started to think big. (But he still sweats the small stuff.)

• Austin Goes 100 Percent Renewable
• Oct 31, 2011
• Austin, Texas, is the nation’s first local government to run its operations with 100 percent renewable energy.
• 1 Comments

• A Small Town Hosts the Nation's Largest Concert
• Jul 27, 2011
• Handling the onslaught of traffic, crime and health needs of the 80,000 people who attend Bonnaroo every year is an art form for local officials.

• Seattle Looks to Cottages for Affordable Housing
• Apr 29, 2011
• Cities are struggling to increase residential density without destroying single-family neighborhoods. That means the return of the backyard cottage.
• 22 Comments

• The CDBG Mobilization
• Mar 31, 2011
• Mayors and county leaders are angrily and aggressively pushing back against proposed cuts against CDBG.

• States Attempt to Streamline Education
• Mar 31, 2011
• Proposals in states like Washington and North Dakota aim to streamline education from pre-k to Ph.D.

• Lottery Revenues Not a Sure Bet
• Mar 31, 2011
• The recent economic crisis suggests that state lotteries and other forms of gambling may not be the predictable cash cows they once were.
• 4 Comments

• Reshaping the Federal-State Relationship
• Feb 16, 2011
• How federalism is being redefined, and how states got to this point.

• Outlook 2011: States Brace for Toughest Year Yet
• Feb 1, 2011
• At GOVERNING's annual Outlook conference, states' looming 2012 budget crisis took center stage, but Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley offered advice for making smart fiscal decisions.
• 3 Comments

• Food Safety Regulations and the GOP Mood
• Feb 1, 2011
• Now that Republicans control the U.S. House and state legislatures, more business-friendly food safety measures may be on the table.

• Making the Case for Regional Taxes
• Feb 1, 2011
• Regions have supplanted cities as the nation's economic centers. Local tax structures don't recognize this shift.
• 1 Comments

• 8 Issues to Watch in 2011
• Dec 23, 2010
• These topics will capture the attention of state legislators in 2011.
• 3 Comments

• Why is Election Day Always a Tuesday?
• Dec 1, 2010
• Does holding elections on a workday contribute to low voter turnout?
• 4 Comments