Features

• Hard Luck on Slots
• By: Ellen Perlman
• Pennsylvania's plan to use gambling revenue for property tax relief has turned into a political lemon.

• Open Season on Middle Managers
• By: Jonathan Walters
• In the latest round of budget cuts, mid-level managers are considered the easiest and most defenseless target.

• The Set-Aside Syndrome
• By: Zach Patton
• Minority-contracting programs can be undone by a city's inability to distinguish between a real and a fake minority firm.

• Church and State
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• In Kansas politics, the Christian Right doesn't just pressure the establishment anymore. It is the establishment.

• Instant Influence
• By: Christopher Swope
• A new generation of web scribes is shaking up state capitol politics.

• Trying to Buy Smarter
• By: Christopher Swope
• Pennsylvania is moving its big construction contracts away from the low-bid model.

Up Front

• Licensing Trouble
• By: Jonathan Walters
• Under a new federal law, state DMVs will be forced into the role of immigration police.

• Rainbow Strategist
• By: John Buntin
• Anthony Thigpenn has spent years promoting reconciliation among blacks and Hispanics. L.A.'s new mayor needs him.

• Minnesota Maverick
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• Getting reelected as a party outcast isn't easy, but Randy Kelly is trying.

• Spoils 2005
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• A little old-fashioned patronage isn't the world's worst sin.

• Too Much Consent
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• Nothing in government lasts forever--but consent decrees come close. Is that necessary?

• Lost Art
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• The fine print in NCLB is worth reading.

• A Little Ethics Left Behind
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• It's easy to boost school test scores--if you don't care how you do it.

• We Buy, You Fly
• By: Otis White

• Fixing a Sagging Wage Floor
• By: Alan Ehrenhalt
• A surprising number of Republicans are joining with liberals to enact new state minimum wage laws.

The Business of Government

• Coming to an Intersection Near You
• By: Ben Delman
• SPUI helps control heavy traffic

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• By: Ben Delman

• Cross Checking
• By: Ellen Perlman
• A city compares its data

• Online Hit: Seattle Drivers Can Ecalculate Their Commute
• By: Ben Delman

• Loving a Loser
• By: Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene
• Award-winning programs usually spawn copycats, but there may be good ideas to replicate from innovative projects that falter.

• Medicaid on the Ramparts
• By: Penelope Lemov
• It's time for the states to break down Congress's door with some basic solutions to the sustainability problem.

• The Great Drain Robbery
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• Even if it's nailed down, thieves are stealing government property to sell for scrap.

• Bubble Trouble
• By: John E. Petersen
• A puncturing of today's inflated real estate values would have negative and broadscale effects on local governments.

• Stricter Air Standards
• By:
• NYC lowers emissions for its fleet

• Balancing the Load
• By: Zach Patton
• Golden State utilities plan for peak-time pricing

• The Great Outdoors
• By: Christopher Swope
• Cities discover the profit in parks

Training Opportunities

• Health Care Reform After the Decision
• In this Mercer Report, you’ll learn how different organizations plan to tackle the new requirements of ACA and discover where most employer concerns are focused, who expects to be hardest hit, and how different health plans and Medicaid may impact overall costs.
• Crime Prediction and Prevention


• Accelerating Economic Growth and Vitality