2011 Public Officials of the Year

Mike Beebe Matthew Goldstein Ron Haddad Lee E. Haworth

Nigel Jacob and Chris Osgood Dan Liljenquist Joanie Mahoney Kasim Reed

 

FEATURES

• Who’s Winning the Amazon Tax Battles?
• By: Kirk Victor
• State legislative fights over Internet sales tax collection have been fierce, with the big Internet retailer playing the heavyweight.

• Can Redistricting Ever Be Fair?
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• Several states are setting up independent commissions in the hope of removing bias from the line-drawing process.

• New Jersey Comes to Atlantic City’s Rescue
• By: David Raskin
• With revenues in freefall, the state has stepped in to save a city in decline.

POLITICS + POLICY

• States Cut Welfare Benefits -- Again
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• At a time when people need it the most, states are tightening work requirements, lowering payments and setting time limits for welfare recipients.

• New Headaches for ‘No Child Left Behind’
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• New NCLB waivers may impact the classroom more than the old law they’re trying to escape did.

• South Carolina Says It's a 'Great Day'
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• A new etiquette directive from Gov. Nikki Haley has state employees sounding more chipper.

• What Can Cities Learn from Wasps?
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• An evolutionary biologist adapts his theories to help local officials plan parks and improve schools.

• Full-Service Government Comes to an End
• By: Paul W. Taylor
• Whether we like it or not, it’s time to expect less -- lots less -- from government.

• Austin Goes 100 Percent Renewable
• By: Zach Patton
• Austin, Texas, is the nation’s first local government to run its operations with 100 percent renewable energy.

• Housing Policy Deserves a Demotion
• By: Peter Harkness
• GOVERNING Publisher Emeritus Peter Harkness says it may be time for government to get out of the business of promoting homeownership.

• More States Employ Wellness Insurance Programs
• By: David Levine
• Can incentives help state workers shed their unhealthy habits and cut health-care costs?

• Ohio EPA Will Leave National Group, State Director Says
• By: Dylan Scott
• Ohio EPA Will Leave National Group, State Director Says

• Should Government Spend or Invest Money?
• By: William Fulton
• In order to ensure long-term economic prosperity, states and localities should focus on investment.

• Pensions Threaten to Sink Cities
• By: Tod Newcombe
• Pension problems at the state level have been grabbing headlines for some time, but many experts believe the real trouble is at the local level.

PROBLEM SOLVER

• Ohio County Demolishes Homes to Remove Blight
• By: Jessica Mulholland
• A land bank knocks down foreclosed homes to stabilize Cleveland-area neighborhoods -- all at the lender’s expense.

• Performance Auditors Lose Influence in Tight Times
• By: Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene
• Groups that assess the value of government programs inevitably make some enemies. That’s one reason the programs are always first on the chopping block.

• Governments Testing Use of Personal Devices for Work
• By: Steve Towns
• New technologies are making it safer for government employees to access sensitive data on their personal computers and smartphones.

• State, Local Finances in a Global Economy
• By: John E. Petersen
• State and local fiscal fortunes are now linked to the ups and downs of markets on every continent.

• The Man Behind U.S. Transportation’s Future
• By: Dylan Scott
• Ron Thaniel guides the transportation conversation for the nation’s cities, and he wants to talk about infrastructure.

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