| TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS: GovManagement Daily will end publication with Friday's edition as the editor moves on to other pursuits. But watch your inbox: The American Society for Public Administration will soon be launching a new daily email newsletter also focusing on government management. For more information, contact Karen Garrett (kgarrett@aspanet.org). |
NEWS: Dec. 21, 2016
| | Gerald Ambrose, Darnell Earley |
Public Health | Flint, Mich.
2 Ex-Emergency Managers Face
Felony Charges in Water Crisis
State Attorney General Bill Schuette's investigation of the Flint water crisis moved a step closer to the highest levels of state government as he brought felony charges against two former Flint emergency managers appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder. Gerald Ambrose and Darnell Earley were charged along with former public works director Howard Croft and former utilities director Daugherty Johnson.
>> Detroit Free Press, Flint Journal
Milwaukee to Begin Replacing Lead Pipes to Homes
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett signed an ordinance creating a plan to begin replacing lead pipes delivering water from street mains to homes to reduce residents' possible exposure to the toxic metal.
>> Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Military | The Nation
Navy Does About-Face on Plan
to Eliminate Traditional Job Titles
Navy leaders are reversing their controversial decision to eliminate sailors' ratings and will restore the traditional job titles across the fleet. The move comes three months after the Navy stunned sailors around the world in September by eliminated ratings titles, including those such as "boatswain's mate" that dated back to the founding of the service, producing a fierce backlash.
>> Navy Times
Public Workforce | The Nation
Fearing Trump-Administration Meddling,
Climate Scientists Establish NOAA Hotline
President-elect Donald Trump's statements on climate change, his appointments to head environmental agencies and the actions of his transition team all have the nation's climate scientists on alert. The Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists has established a hotline for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees to report political meddling.
>> Quartz
CalPERS Slashing Its Investment-Return Forecast
The California Public Employees' Retirement System moved to slash its official investment-return forecast, a dramatic step that will translate into billions of dollars in higher annual pension contributions from the state, local governments and school districts.
>> Sacramento Bee
520 Pennsylvania Workers Laid Off in Funding Dispute
About 520 Pennsylvania state employees caught in a funding dispute over unemployment compensation between Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's administration and Senate Republicans are being laid off.
>> AP/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Law Enforcement | San Francisco
L.A. Police Official Named
San Francisco's New Chief
Mayor Ed Lee selected Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief William "Bill" Scott, the LAPD's highest-ranking African American officer, to be San Francisco's new police chief. Scott pledged to be "fair and consistent" as he leads a department that's working to implement broad changes following recent controversial police killings and increasingly strained community relations.
>> San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times
Maricopa Sheriff-Elect Draws Leaders from Phoenix PD
The Phoenix Police Department will serve as a major pipeline to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, with past or present officers filling at least five key positions under Sheriff-elect Paul Penzone.
>> Arizona Republic
Higher Education | The Nation
Social Security Student Debt Repayments
Leaving Some Below Poverty Line, GAO Reports
Older Americans who defaulted on their federal student loans are increasingly having to repay them with portions of their Social Security benefits, according to a new Government Accountability Office report saying that the "offsets" are leaving people who rely on Social Security with benefits that fall below federal poverty guidelines.
>> Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington Post
Penn State Countersues Its Former President
Penn State has countersued its former president, claiming that Graham Spanier violated his employment agreement by not disclosing what he knew about Jerry Sandusky before the former assistant football coach's arrest on child-molestation charges.
>> AP/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
>> Follow GovManagement on Twitter
>> Share this edition: | Coming soon:
ASPA's Annual Conference
The most comprehensive public-administration event of the year will be held March 17-21, 2017, in Atlanta, offering an array of educational options -- panels, workshops, roundtables -- along with hundreds of public-service experts for learning and networking. For more information and registration, click here. |
VIEWPOINT
Efficiency | Robert Knisely
The Need to Recognize
What Government Does Right
Lots of federal processes are inefficient and wasteful, but many others have become more efficient and effective over time. When I helped run Vice President Al Gore's National Performance Review, we focused on bringing in the best ideas from the private sector. We never sought out for recognition the best approaches to the standard, everyday processes of government as they have evolved over decades. We need to start doing that. It won't be easy, and it won't be free, but competition will help sort the good from the mediocre from the truly awful.
>> The Hill | More commentaries
DATAPOINT
57
Number of years that a copy of "Gone with the Wind" borrowed from the Brooklyn Public Library was overdue when Barbara Roston, a Manhattan resident who borrowed it on Nov. 18, 1959, realized that the book belonged to the library and returned it, making a $50 donation to the library after learning that because the book had not been registered in the library's computer system she would not have to pay a late fee of more than $1,000 for the 20,842 days the book was overdue
>> New York Times | More data
QUOTABLE
“I thought it was fake news.”
Faith Spotted Eagle, a member of the Yankton Sioux Nation from South Dakota and prominent anti-pipeline activist who is believed to be the first Native American to win an Electoral College vote for president, cast Monday by a Washington state radio host and Puyallup Tribe member, describing her reaction when she heard the news from a reporter
>> Los Angeles Times | More quotes
UPCOMING EVENTS
American Society for Public Administration
BookTalk webinar: "America, the Owner's Manual: You Can Fight City Hall--and Win"
Jan. 4, 1 p.m. ET
Brookings Institution
Address by Lawrence H. Summers, paper release and discussions: "From Bridges to Education: Best Bets for Public Investment"
Jan. 9, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C.
American Enterprise Institute
Book discussion: "Age of Discovery: Navigating the Risks and Rewards of Our New Renaissance"
Jan. 9, noon-1 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C.
Heritage Foundation
Book discussion: "Waging Insurgent Warfare: Lessons from the Vietcong to the Islamic State"
Jan. 10, 11 a.m.-noon ET, Washington, D.C.
Urban Institute
Discussions: "Housing Policy Past and Future: Lessons Learned through the Crisis and the Path Forward"
Jan. 11, 6-8 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C.
American Society for Public Administration
Webinar: "How to Support Decisions in Health Care"
Jan. 17, 2 p.m. ET
Government Technology
Webinar: "From Road Building to Riots: How the City of Charlotte, N.C., Uses Social Media to Communicate in Both Good Times and Bad"
Jan. 18, 2 p.m. ET
American Society for Public Administration
BookTalk webinar: "Public Policymaking by Private Organizations"
Jan. 24, 1 p.m. ET
|
