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NEWS: Dec. 21, 2016
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
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
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:
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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
“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 |
