Zach Patton

Recent Articles

• Does Posting Calories Make a Difference?
• Oct 28, 2009
• You may recall that New York City began requiring fast-food restaurants to post calorie counts alongside all of their menu items. The city's thinking, ...

• Making it More Fun to Take the Stairs
• Oct 13, 2009
• Cities from New York to Missoula, Montana, are urging residents to "take the stairs" instead of an escalator or elevator. It's a ...

• Conan to Newark Mayor: I Will 'Crush You'
• Oct 7, 2009
• It's really a shame that David Letterman and his sex-extortion scandal are all anybody can talk about in late-night TV right now, because there'...
• 1 Comments

• Keeping Gen Y in Government: The Three A's
• Oct 2, 2009
• Just got out of the panel I co-moderated on Attracting and Keeping Young Leaders in Government. It was great -- one of those terrific sessions ...

• Making Government a Good Place to Work
• Oct 1, 2009
• It's true that any the current economy, any place to work is a good place to work. But seriously, how can governments transform themselves (...

• When Not Changing Is the Biggest Risk
• Oct 1, 2009
• After hearing from Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue earlier this morning about how he's changed state government to make it more efficient, we got a ...

• Can You Really Change the Culture of Government?
• Oct 1, 2009
• Great panel discussion this morning on a daunting topic: Is there really anything you can do to change the culture of state governments? Can you ...
• 4 Comments

• Georgia Governor: States Should Be Problem-Solvers
• Oct 1, 2009
• As I mentioned yesterday, Governing chose Atlanta as the site for its 2009 Managing Performance conference. And it wasn't just because you can get a ...
• 6 Comments

• My Big Fat Pension Payoff
• Sep 30, 2009
• Just two years ago, Ray Patchett worked for the city of Carlsbad, California, a coastal town in northern San Diego County. Patchett, now 61, had served...
• 4 Comments

• Will the Stimulus Have Any Lasting Impact on States and Cities?
• Sep 30, 2009
• Of course we've all heard a lot about the stimulus over the past several months. And we're about to hear a lot more ...

• Don't Use IT to Cement a Broken System
• Sep 30, 2009
• I'm in Atlanta for Governing's 2009 Managing Performance conference.  It's always great to come to these things and meet individuals who are truly ...
• 1 Comments

• Newark Mayor: Conan O'Brien Better Stick With JFK
• Sep 29, 2009
• Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker knows you think his city is a punchline. But he's out to change that. After Conan O'Brien ...
• 2 Comments

• Illinois' Bold Bid to Reshape the Local Food Scene
• Sep 29, 2009
• I've become something of the go-to guy around Governing when it comes to food stories. I've written about street food carts, urban farm ...

• Urban Farming: A Tough Row to Hoe
• Sep 18, 2009
• In his Urban Notebook column last month, Governing managing editor Chris Swope explored the idea of urban farming -- the concept of utilizing vacant properties ...

• Rating NYC's New Gross-Out Soda Ads
• Sep 15, 2009
• The New York City health department has a new ad campaign aimed at reducing consumption of sodas and other sugary drinks. The campaign takes an ...