Jeff Haden has written a great post titled 8 Things Your Employees Need Most. While pay raises are nice, many studies have shown that higher pay alone does not result in a greater commitment or performance by employees. Sadly, from my 17 years of experience in government, most government employment does not provide employees withRead… Read more »
In these difficult economic times local governments need to be more innovative in how they operate. Local governments will not be able to cut their way out of their current budget crisis, instead they will have to find ways of delivering services that are smarter, faster and cheaper. Creativity and innovation are needed in localRead… Read more »
The New York City Council recently passed Open Data legislation that will require 50 plus agencies to publish their quantitive data sets through an online portal in a machine-readable format, enabling public and private sector access to better manipulate and interpret the city’s information. Data will be presented by category and by City agency. AsRead… Read more »
In addition to being good for the environement recycling can save a municipality signficant sums of money by reducing the amount spent on landfilling garbage. For years city officials in Buffalo have debated how to improve its dismal recycling rate. Penalties have been discussed offering incentives has been discussed, yet Buffalo has a dismal rateRead… Read more »
As reported in the Buffalo News, since 2006 when Byron Brown became Mayor of Buffalo records show the Hodgson Russ law firm has earned $4 million in city legal fees, more than the next three highest-paid firms hired by the city combined. Why does Hodgson Russ get so much of the city’s business? “Experience, resourcesRead… Read more »
Thirty-five City of Philadelphia employees volunteer as Integrity Officers serving as an ethics resource for fellow employees and to assist with ethics investigations. Every city department has such an officer, and anyone who has information on illegal or inappropriate behavior can turn to them. According to Philadelphia Inspector General Amy Kurland the Integrity Officers “…Read… Read more »
Boston Massachusetts Mayor Thomas Menino has led the charge among urban Mayors for a “new era of shared innovation,”. To back up his push for more innovation in government, Menino in 2010 created the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, to focus on exploring and implementing innovations that enhance City services and operations. “The Mayor’sRead… Read more »
This is quite the street sign for people to read and comply with. The sign instructs drivers to slow down to 25 mph between 6:49-7:15, 7:52-8:22 and 8:37-9:07 during the morning and 2:03-2:33, 3:04-3:34 and 3:59-4:29 during the afternoon on school days. At all other times the speed limit is 45 mph. After public outcryRead… Read more »
Stan Wier is a talented high school basketball player who is driven to challenge himself and improve his skills. As explained in a Buffalo News article, Stan has purposely played for three different high school teams, one of which was out of state in an effort to challenge himself and become better as a player.Read… Read more »
All organizations have their own unique culture. The culture in great organizations is visible from how positive and engaged employees are between themselves and when interacting with customers. In a previous post I highlighted 7 signs of a dysfunctional organization. Steve Tobak of CBS News.com wrote an article titled 7 Signs of a High-Performance Company,Read… Read more »