Running for and winning an office such as Governor, County Executive, Mayor or Town supervisor is an accomplishment to be proud of. Leadership is a topic that I study due to my own personal interest and something that I have had an opportunity to observe up close at the local level through 17 years ofRead… Read more »
As a certified yellow belt in Six Sigma, I believe that Six Sigma methods can have a positive impact on improving government. However, Six Sigma with its heavy emphasis on statistical analysis is not the best fit for measuring and improving government performance. A better fit for government is to utilize the concept of Lean.Read… Read more »
The Buffalo News reports that Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown sponsored a job fair, which attracted 1,500 people. While politicians have very little to do with creating jobs, they are all feeling the heat from an angry public seeking employment. While I applaud the Mayor for trying to help, the truth is that job fairs areRead… Read more »
The above Dilbert strip unfortunately is true of so many places that I have worked for. Time and time again I would see expensive consultants hired to improve operations, when employees themselves had many great ideas that were ignored. As reported in the Wall Street Journal research by Alan G. Robinson, a professor at theRead… Read more »
Buffalo attorney James Ostrowski recently argued a very important case before the New York State Court of Appeals, which if successful will have a huge impact on pay to play politics, and reduce taxes in New York State. The law suit brought by a Lockport, NY financial planner and others belonging to an anti-tax groupRead… Read more »
In 1976 as a response to the Watergate scandal Nevada implemented a process allowing voters to cast a vote for “none of these candidates” in every statewide election for federal or state offices. The protest vote which is not binding has been the top vote getter in four primary elections. In instances where “none ofRead… Read more »
Each year local governments struggle to address budget deficits by generating new revenue and spending cuts to close budget gaps. Elected officials typically think short term and rely on one shot measures rather than permanent changes to cost structures. Local governments need to operate smarter and cheaper. According to a recent study by IBM titledRead… Read more »
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown has taken promoting his name to a level never seen before by a local politician. Putting the Mayor’s name on newly purchased fire trucks, which caused a public back lash has brought the issue of the Mayor’s self promotion to a head. As reported in the Buffalo News: Office entrances. GatewaysRead… Read more »
Private companies such as Procter & Gamble, Apple and Amazon have achieved great success by tapping into the ideas and creativity of others to co-create products and services. The success of the iPhone, iTunes and iPad has been driven by the thousands of apps customers have created on the platform provided by Apple. The worldRead… Read more »
In my seventeen years of government employment, I encountered many bureaucratic procedures that made accomplishing anything very difficult and inefficient. Most government employees know that the agency or program they are working for could be improved but they do not have the opportunity to express their ideas or are afraid to express new ideas asRead… Read more »