International Civic Engagement

Suzanne Morse on City Managers, Mayors and Civic Engagement

Suzanne Morse posted the following entry today on Smart Communities:

Today begins the fiscal year for many of our states and municipalities. It is also the time when the budgets in place will likely be less than last year. After multiple quarters of decline, services are being cut left and right. As I tell audiences, if you are waiting for relief from Washington, DC, you have got a long wait. But in many things painful, this is a learning opportunity. What you cry? This is a time like no other to get citizens involved in the reality of local politics. I am not talking about a focus group to set priorities for local spending. I am talking about ways to inform and involve the public on the issues at hand. If there will be less for social services--say so--and ask for help. If parks and recreation are to be affected--say so--and ask for help. People are not stupid. They know that gas prices are affecting everything from food delivery to municipal services. This is an opportunity to change business as usual. More people have to step up to meet the needs. Methods of delivery have to change. This is time to remake the community where we live. Will the economy come back? It always has. What will be different this time is that we will be better prepared, have closed the gaps, and will engage the community in ways not seen before. Actually not a bad trade-off if we can pull it off. Check out this free information from Public Agenda to get started.

Local governments seem to be warming up to the benefits of civic engagement, as evidenced by this August 2007 National League of Cities City Practice Brief.

Paul Light on "Can't-Do Government"

[Courtesy of The Partnership's Daily Pipeline]

Paul Light opines in the Washington Post about the many management challenges facing the next POTUS.  He writes:

[T]he next president will appoint almost 3,000 political executives. Not only will these appointees dilute transparency between the top and bottom of government, but each must go through a brutish approval process that will vitiate the chain of command. The 60 pages of clearance forms have never been more complex or difficult to complete — one set has to be filled out using a typewriter. Hillary Rodham Clinton might have promised to be ready on Day One, but she would have been lucky if her appointees were in place by March of Year Two.

The president will also oversee a federal work force that is increasingly frustrated and demoralized — with good reason. Asked to do more with less, it is close to doing everything with almost nothing. Federal employees do not get the resources necessary to do their jobs; they rate their leadership as barely competent at best (and getting worse) and give their hiring and disciplinary processes failing marks. Turnover is up at all levels; customer service ratings are down.

The next president will also be responsible for recruiting thousands of new employees. However, many of the most talented young Americans consider the federal government a career of last resort. They understandably wonder whether government service would give them a chance to make a difference and acquire the skills they need in an unforgiving economy. They are not saying "show us the money" but "show us the work." And federal work has not been showing well lately.

States Take Action to Expand Access to Broadband Communication

From the National Governors Association:

Broadband communication is transforming the way Americans use the Internet and creating the potential for significant economic benefits in communities nationwide. Recognizing this, states have employed a variety of strategies to promote broadband access and adoption, which are highlighted in a new issue brief from the NGA Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) titled State Efforts to Expand Broadband Access.

"Governors recognize the economic and social promise broadband holds, whether for helping businesses grow, increasing access to health care or enhancing public safety," said John Thomasian, director of the NGA Center. "That's why states are playing a prominent role in helping the private sector expand broadband access."

Greening Government Conference Features Best Practices for Sustainable and Green Initiatives

From ICMA's Academic Matters:

The challenge of making local governments more environmentally responsible in their operations and practices is the focus of the inaugural Greening Government Conference at Northern Arizona University’s W.A. Franke College of Business on Friday, July 25. The one day meeting brings together practitioners and partners from across the country with plenary and breakout sessions for more intensive discussions. The target audience is city, county, and tribal officials and decision-makers at the managerial level who are responsible for policy development and implementation.

Speakers at the conference include representatives of national organizations and programs, including Mark Ruzzin, Local Governments for Sustainability; John Maynard, National Association of Counties Green Government Initiative; Chris O'Brien, Responsible Purchasing Network at the Center for a New American Dream; Jeff Meilbeck, Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transit Authority; and Connie Kuranko, U.S. Communities Green Initiative. Panelists include officials from the cities of Cambridge, MA; Flagstaff, AZ; Hillsboro, OR; Seattle, WA; and Tempe, AZ; and Coconino County, AZ; Contra Costa County, CA; Hennepin County, MN; and Santa Cruz County, AZ.

Sessions include Social Responsibility and Government: Getting Buy In from Elected Officials; Green Design, Building, and Facilities Management; Green Procurement and Certification; Energy, Greenhouse Gas Inventories, and Local Global Climate Change Initiatives; Benchmarking, Tracking, and Reporting Green Accomplishments; and Transportation and Fleet Management. Attendees will hear a lunch presentation at the LEED Platinum Applied Research and Development building on the NAU campus, one of a handful of university facilities in Arizona awarded this certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Details on the speakers and panels, conference information, and online registration are available at greeninggovernment.org.

2010 Regional Census Centers

The U.S. Census Bureau recently announced the locations of several 2010 Regional Census Centers.  I will attend the open house for the Kansas City center tomorrow morning.

Public Satisfaction with e-Government Hits Lowest Level since 2005

From GovExec.com:

The public's affection for federal government Web sites waned for the third straight quarter during the first quarter of 2008. The score of 72.4 (out of 100) for the e-government portion of the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index was a half point lower than last quarter and the lowest reading since 2005.

The dip in scores is due to several factors, including uncertainty about the upcoming presidential election and administration transition, according to Larry Freed, CEO and president of Foresee Results of Ann Arbor, Mich., which published the report. Overall, 42 percent of federal Web sites reported lower scores compared to last quarter, while 33 percent reported higher scores and 26 percent indicated no change. Two portals, which are department home pages or entryways to other sites, had the sharpest decline in satisfaction -- the GSA's Forms.gov and the USDA's home page received the lowest scores, 58 and 59 points, respectively.

"E-gov sites are experiencing challenges; we are back to a level of satisfaction we saw in 2005, and the big question is why," said Freed. He suggested that citizens' expectations of government Web sites are largely driven by their experience with commercial sites such as Google.com or Amazon.com, which could account for the public sector's lower scores. Freed said citizens expect the same ease of use, search capability and navigation that they would find at those Web sites.

Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39570&dcn=e_gvet

Partnership for Public Service Launches New Facebook Feature

From the Partnership for Public Service:

Early this month, the Partnership launched a new feature through Facebook's "Causes" application. The site allows Facebook subscribers to be a part of our network of supporters and help us revitalize our federal government. With the new application supporters of the cause can ask questions on the discussion board, donate and invite other friends to join. We'll also be keeping our members up-to-date on Partnership news and special events.

Join our Facebook Cause!

Agencies Urged to Avoid Generational Stereotypes

From GovExec.com:

By Alyssa Rosenberg arosenberg@govexec.com February 26, 2008

As agencies hire a new crop of federal employees, they need to understand generational differences and avoid stereotyping younger co-workers, said speakers Monday at the 2008 Government Performance Summit in Arlington, Va.

"Don't fall prey to stereotypes," Ed Powell, director of business development for Monster Government Solutions, said. "We're all reading a lot of stuff about the millennials right now, and there's a tendency to paint them with the same brush, saying they're all selfish, they all got trophies for seventh place. They can be very different.... It's all about going out and finding people who are a good job fit, a cultural fit and a lifestyle fit."

Wendy Stoner, who runs the financial management specialist program in the General Services Administration's Office of the Chief Financial Officer, says she interviews candidates for the two-year internship by asking about experiences and problem-solving approaches, rather than looking for generational characteristics.

"I listen to the experiences they've had; I have them tell me about an experience that didn't go well," Stoner says. "I want to know, do they blame others for the outcome, or do they take ownership? Do they give me strategies for what they would have done if they had to do it again? I don't want the person who blames someone else," she says. "All of my questions are behavioral-based."

Treating interns like professionals have yielded impressive results for GSA, Stoner says. Since the program launched in 1999, 58 percent of the interns have stayed on at GSA, 63 percent of those who remained and are eligible for promotion beyond the GS-12 level have been promoted, and one is now in the Senior Executive Service.

"The people I rotate these folks to call and say 'Can you send me more? I can't get enough of [them],'" Stoner said. "They share their experience and technological knowhow. For Gen-X and Gen-Y [millennials], they are not into this tenure thing, because if they can see a path where they can excel and advance in their generation, they can be exactly what we're looking for."
Agencies should allow younger hires to be catalysts for change, said Mark Charnock, vice president and general manager of MonsterTRAK, Monster.com's portal for young workers. "I know it's hard, but they will become change agents for you because they'll change the way their peers behave and how other generations behave," said Charnock. "That's where I see the light."

He acknowledged that the media and human resources community have paid too much attention to the 12 percent of the population he described as "The Clueless," young people who don't identify strongly with work and depend financially on their parents. But he said that employers need to take more responsibility for teaching young people what work entails and convincing them to remain in jobs for a reasonable amount of time, rather than hop around to other opportunities.

"There's little understanding [among millennials] of what work requires. This is our fault, not their fault," Charnock said. "We have an opportunity to define what the workplace is going to be at the interview, and we need to change that as we move forward."

Public Trust in Government Bleak, Survey Finds

From GovExec.com:

U.S. taxpayers overwhelmingly believe the federal government has failed to explain how it generates and spends money, creating a growing expectations gap that is eroding the public's trust in its leaders, according to a new survey released Wednesday.

The survey, Public Attitudes to Government Accountability and Transparency 2008, measured how 1,652 adults felt about federal, state and local governments' financial management and accountability to taxpayers.

The results paint a grim picture of the public's unhappiness with both the availability of financial information and the way it is delivered to citizens, said Relmond Van Daniker, executive director of the Association of Government Accountants, which commissioned the study. The poll was conducted by Harris Interactive, a market research firm based in Rochester, N.Y.

Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39336&dcn=e_gvet

U.S. States/Cities E-Governance Survey 2008

From the H-PUBADMIN list:

The E-Governance Institute at Rutgers University-Newark is conducting its First U.S. States/Cities E-Governance Survey in collaboration with the Department of Public Administration, San Francisco State University. The Survey evaluates websites of the 50 American States and the largest municipalities, and compares their rankings on a national e-governance scale.

We are seeking to recruit volunteers who would be interested in surveying websites of states or selected municipalities in each state.

Surveyors will have the opportunity to learn about e-governance and related issues such as e-democracy, e-voting, e-bulletin boards, website usability and online citizen participation. Each evaluation can be done within two to three hours and surveyors will be credited in the published results.

If you are interested in participating in the survey, please email me at amano@rutgers.edu and I will send you further details. Please forward this message to your friends and colleagues.

Sincerely,
Aroon

--
Aroon Manoharan
Doctoral Student/Associate Director
E-Governance Institute

School of Public Affairs and Administration
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
360 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Hill Hall, 7th floor
Newark · New Jersey 07102-1801