May 2012 | Table of Contents
FEATURES
- Kitzhaber: Three-Time Governor Turning Oregon’s Tide
- John Kitzhaber once called Oregon “ungovernable.” Now, he’s forging bipartisan alliances that are making it one of the best-governed states in the nation.
- Emergency Financial Managers: Michigan's Unwelcome Savior
- In Michigan, financial advisers take control of cities on the brink of bankruptcy.
- Citizens United’s Corporate Candidate
- Now that private-sector groups are allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money in state elections, who’s really running for office?
- 'Green' Municipalities Cut Ties with Utilities
- A growing number of cities and counties dedicated to energy efficiency are deciding that local sustainability initiatives can’t coexist with for-profit utilities.
- Revisiting the Hope VI Public Housing Program’s Legacy
- Hope VI developments, which replaced huge projects with smaller units that matched the scale of the neighborhood, were supposed to represent a new way of thinking about low-income housing. They didn’t always get it right.
POLITICS + POLICY
- Caucus System Cracks Revealed During 2012 GOP Primary Season
- Several states were embarrassed by faulty counts in their caucuses, which are run by political parties rather than by public officials.
- Governors Have 'The Best Job in Politics'
- In his new book, political scientist Alan Rosenthal professes that no one gets what they want more than governors. Find out why.
- Stockton, California’s Bankruptcy Makes 'Normal' Cities Nervous
- Unlike many high-profile bankruptcies, Stockton’s financial woes are the result of many different factors that are not unusual for many localities.
- 50-State Legislation Now Searchable by Smartphone
- The new Open States app lets users identify and contact their state reps, scroll through voting records and follow bills through the legislative process.
- San Francisco Parking Program Eases Congestion
- San Francisco hopes that by raising some prices based on supply and demand, it can ensure there’s always at least one open spot on every block. According to a New York Times analysis, it may be working.
- Mayor Brenda Lawrence Walks a Mile in Their Shoes
- In Southfield, Mich., the mayor takes early morning walks with her constituents – a move that’s changed not only the physical but civic health of her city.
- The Affordable Care Act: A Case Study for Cooperative Federalism?
- If the health reform law is upheld, the flexibility it will give states on health insurance exchanges could be a model for healthy federal-state relations.
- Financing Water Infrastructure Like Transportation
- One idea floating around on how to help cities pay for water infrastructure has already helped finance big transportation projects with large, low-interest loans directly from the feds.
- Mental-Health Medications May Become Limited in Utah
- For now, Utah is one of only a handful of states that still allow nearly unrestricted access to psychotropic drugs. Does limiting access to their meds put the mentally ill at risk?
- Cities Get Green Certifications for More Than Just Buildings
- Cities and counties can now earn eco-certification for everything from the roads they build to the vehicles that ride on them.
- Silicon Valley Considers Personal Rapid Transit System
- Can an innovative transit idea keep Silicon Valley -- home to tech giants like Google and Microsoft -- from choking on congestion? Or is the answer to their problems much simpler?
- City Hall Buildings Fall Victim to Local Budgets
- The upkeep and restoration of older city halls often become casualties of budgets squeezed by the Great Recession.
PROBLEM SOLVER
- Food-Safety Audits Keep Leafy Greens Clean
- Consumption of leafy green vegetables is growing, as is the risk of E. coli contamination. California and Arizona are taking the lead in keeping them clean.
- Government Performance Auditors at Risk of Becoming Endangered
- Many governments have shifted into reverse, cutting and even eliminating auditing offices.
- Cities Share Data, Software Applications
- An informal group of seven city CIOs is launching its first project: a website that will house standardized data from each city.
- Stockton, California’s Debt Problems May Set Precedent
- How Stockton's story unfolds could have major consequences for public employee pensions and bondholders nationwide.
- Alex Morse: 23-Year-Old Mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts Tackles Job Creation
- Alex Morse, a recent college graduate, is in charge of a town with one of the nation’s worst unemployment rates. But he has plans to change that.
Events & Webinars
- It’s A Paperless, Paperless World..... Thinking Outside the Box to Gain Efficiencies through Prepaid Cards
- April 23, 2013
- Public sector organizations are under intense scrutiny to operate as efficiently and effectively as possible and with maximum transparency. An important consideration is the way in which payments are made and managed. Prepaid cards can offer flexibility, security and accountability to governments as a method of dispersing benefits, healthcare and social care payments, child benefits and housing benefits to their constituents.
- GOVERNING - Michigan Leadership Forum 2013
- May 1, 2013
Training Opportunities
Outsmarting the Social Services Fraudster- Learn how IBM InfoSphere Identity Insight helps social services organizations reduce time and labor for caseload management, comply with new regulations fast and cost-efficiently and identify fraudulent behavior rapidly to stop it before it occurs.
- A Safer Public Through Advanced Analytics
- Accelerating Economic Growth and Vitality
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