Federal Eye: Federal government closed on Wednesday

Federal government offices in the Washington region will close on Wednesday for a third straight day, the longest run of snow days for the region’s federal workers since 1996. The decision means non-emergency federal workers will be granted excused absences, the Office of Personnel Management said. Emergency employees are expected to report for work onRead… Read more »

The Google “Buzz” Kill

If you haven’t already heard (and if you haven’t I assume you live under a rock) Google is going to compete with the likes of Facebook and Twitter with the soon to be released “Google Buzz”. Since Google has yet to activate “Buzz” within my Gmail account, I will save my opinions as it relatesRead… Read more »

Federal Eye: New GSA administrator answers the call — literally

Talk about phoning it in! Newly minted General Services Administrator Martha N. Johnson was formally sworn into office on Sunday evening — by telephone. Acting Administrator Steve Leeds called Johnson at her Annapolis home and administered the oath of office, the agency said Tuesday. Johnson’s husband, Steve, served as the official witness. The oath-of-office-by-phone isRead… Read more »

California Space Race

A vocal and well-prepared team of aerospace professionals and backers in California is gaining momentum in its quest to enhance the region’s aerospace prowess. Influential members from myriad economic development, utility, education, government, military, and defense contractor groups have pooled their talent, assets, know-how, and hefty political backing to form the California Space Authority (CSA)Read… Read more »

Federal Eye: OPM Web site crushed by high traffic

An Office of Personnel Management Web page providing news on office closures was redirected Monday to a site with larger servers to cope with a crush of traffic from curious Web surfers eager to learn about the government’s operating status. Users who typed in www.opm.gov were redirected to www.data.gov/opm_status.html and an OPM status update pageRead… Read more »

New times demand a new public servant

So what would a new public servant look like in the States? Last weeks Public Sector Informant published an article by Terry Fewtrell on the implications of the work done by the Gov 2.0 Taskforce. Terry is principal consultant with Yellow Edge Consulting. The article New times demand a new public servant, highlights the fundamentalRead… Read more »

Achieving progress from the ground up: Veteran behavioral health advocate Ronald W. Manderscheid, PhD, tackles the issues at the local level

Issue Date: January 2010, Mover Achieving progress from the ground upVeteran behavioral health advocate Ronald W. Manderscheid, PhD, tackles the issues at the local level by Lindsay Barba, Associate Editor It’s a widely accepted idea that all politics is local, but if you ask Ronald W. Manderscheid, PhD, all healthcare is local, too. And withRead… Read more »

President’s Budget Proposal Continues to Delay Taking a Closer Look at Tax Breaks

In recent hearings before the House Budget Committee, both Peter Orszag (OMB Director) and Jeffrey Zients (OMB Chief Performance Officer) have acknowledged the need to scrutinize “tax expenditures” — i.e. special tax breaks aimed at achieving specific policy goals. Mr. Zients even went so far as to express “100% agreement” with the notion of evaluatingRead… Read more »

Mecklenburg County eGovernment Strategic Plan

Last week I shared Mecklenburg County’s Social Media Strategy, which is really a document related to our overall eGovernment Strategic Plan. The link to the eGov plan is provided with this blog post, and you are welcome to use any or all of the content. (And, if by chance, we have plaigerized anything, it wasRead… Read more »