2012 Public Officials of the Year

Bruce Hanna & Arnie Roblan Elaine M. Howle Joette Katz John E. Nixon Toni Preckwinkle Mark Rohr Brian Sandoval

 

FEATURES

• The U.S. as an Energy Exporter?
• By: Dylan Scott
• Thanks to an unprecedented shift in global supply and demand, the United States is poised to transition from one of the world’s biggest consumers of energy to one of its largest producers.

• Senior Cohousing May be the Next Real-Estate Trend
• By: Ryan Holeywell
• Once a relative novelty, communal living facilities continue to increase in popularity -- and they could become a key part of the way developers and cities accommodate an aging population.

• Tax-Exempt Properties Rise as Cities Cope with Shrinking Tax Bases
• By: Mike Maciag
• A comprehensive solution to replenish municipal coffers has yet to emerge.

POLITICS + POLICY

• When Governors Don’t Play Nice
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal doesn’t even bother working with the state Legislature. Does it matter?

• One of the Most Segregated U.S. Cities Opens the Race Conversation
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• Cleveland has started a yearlong series of forums on race relations to educate citizens and city leaders.

• In Vote-Counting, Human Errors Still Creep In
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• New York has been reluctant to embrace technology when it comes to counting votes. Could the state’s hesitation be the source for its recent election debacles?

• Georgia Attracts Unlikely Students to Government Jobs
• By: Paul W. Taylor
• An internship program in Georgia is hoping to open young minds to a career in public service.

• It's Time for States, Localities to Think Boldly
• By: Peter Harkness
• Elections and governance have become so intertwined that it’s hard to know when campaigns begin or end. We do know we need big ideas.

• Should Gay Marriage Be Decided by States?
• By: Ryan Holeywell

• Prescription Drug Abuse Fight May Get Easier
• By: David Levine
• Nearly every state has a program to track prescription drugs, but most lack the technology to keep up. Pilot programs in Indiana and Ohio may change that.

• Microgrid Technology Faces Its 1st Big Test
• By: Elizabeth Daigneau
• After two storms left nearly 1 million Connecticut homes and businesses without power last year, the state began testing whether small electric grids can provide power even when the main grid loses it.

• Do Millennials Want to Call Your City ‘Home’?
• By: William Fulton
• Millions of millennials will soon be putting down roots. Cities and suburbs that are less attractive to them have a limited window to turn things around.

• Casino Developers Court Cities
• By: Tod Newcombe
• The latest market for gaming isn’t in the suburbs anymore; it’s downtown, where developers are retrofitting existing buildings and changing the casino as we know it.

PROBLEM SOLVER

• W.Va. County Builds Teacher Villages to Save Schools
• By: Sarah Ferris
• McDowell County may be the first rural community to build housing to attract young teachers. It could be a model for other counties facing waning populations and crumbling infrastructure.

• Public vs. Private Employees: Who Wins in a Bidding War?
• By: Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene
• Instead of simply preselecting private- or public-sector employees, managed competition means projects can be put out for bid with both groups competing for work.

• D.C. Police Fight Crime with Design
• By: Brian Peteritas
• District of Columbia police aim to work with developers to design safe environments that prevent crime.

• Building Profiling for First Responders
• By: Brian Peteritas
• Camden, N.J., is piloting a new program that maps out abandoned buildings for hazards to increase safety for first responders and nearby businesses.

• Smarter Traffic Signals Could Make Commuting Easier
• By: Steve Towns
• Washington, D.C., one of the most congested cities in the country, is testing technology that could ease traffic gridlock.

• Can California Fix Its Budget Problems?
• By: Mark Funkhouser
• Changes in its political system may point the way for it to meet financial challenges.

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
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• Accelerating Economic Growth and Vitality