Warren C. Hoy was recently named plant manager of a DuPont plant near Buffalo, NY. A DuPont employee for 31 years, Hoy has some great thoughts about leadership that were reported in a Buffalo News article. Through his 31 years of experience Hoy has learned the following about leadership: – As a leader you don’tRead… Read more »
In 2006, the Buffalo Common Council unanimously approved an amendment to the City Charter which created a Procurement Policy Board. Byron Brown, in the early days of his first term as mayor, signed the local law to create the Procurement Policy Board. Brown touted how the board could streamline city purchasing and save the cityRead… Read more »
Sharing information among employees is critical for the success of any organization. Many government offices operate in silos of their own with very little communication with other departments. General Electric (GE) has a long tradition of seeking to eliminate bureaucracy in their operations and for encouraging communication across all levels of their organization. GE hasRead… Read more »
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has made innovation a focus of his new administration. Lee has announced and committed to an Innovation Portfolio. Highlights of the Mayor Lee’s 2012 Innovation Portfolio are: – Business One-Stop: making it easier for new businesses to start and grow in San Francisco. Using this online service, businesses will beRead… Read more »
The City Council in Buffalo and the Erie County Legislature spend a great deal of time on constituent concerns and proclamations honoring various individuals and community groups. As such very little time if any is spent on setting goals and measuring the performance of government departments. In an effort to encourage big picture thinking, IRead… Read more »
Municipalities around the country are struggling with declining revenues and a public that is resistant to any tax increases. In addition to cutting spending and eliminating jobs, local governments are seeking new revenue streams. Amherst (suburb of Buffalo) Town Supervisor Barry Weinstein is seeking to have organizations that sponsor public charity events reimburse the townRead… Read more »
By almost every measure the performance of Buffalo Public Schools are a failure. A recent report regarding the operation of Buffalo schools highlights management issues that have had a negative impact on the entire school system. The same issues identified in the Buffalo Public Schools exist in how City government in general is operated inRead… Read more »
Don DalFonso, a Buffalo resident who collects scrap metal, was recently cited by the Town of Tonawanda for “interference with waste material set out for collection.” The City of Buffalo and several surrounding suburbs have ordinances that not only prohibit unauthorized removal of trash, but go as far as to establish the municipality as owner,Read… Read more »
Former Buffalo Councilmember Brian Davis was recently sentenced to one year in prison for stealing taxpayer dollars that he controlled through discretionary funding that is provided to all Councilmembers. The Buffalo City Charter states one of the responsibilities of the City Comptroller as: “The comptroller shall engage an independent consultant to conduct an audit ofRead… Read more »
Marc Hamister is the CEO of the Hamister Group Inc., which has 748 employees and $47 million in 2011 revenues. The Hamister Group owns three assisted-living facilities and one home health-care agency in New York; as well as 10 hotels in Tennessee, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Elected officials who are the CEOs of their local governmentRead… Read more »