Army Corps of Engineers Closes Regulatory Offices

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will close its regulatory offices because of the federal shutdown. Due to the closures, the regulatory offices are unable to look at individual permit applications, pre-construction notifications for nationwide permit or regional general permit authorizations or requests for jurisdictional determinations. The nationwide permit containing pre-construction notifications must wait 45Read… Read more »

The Future of Online Citizen Services

Jimmy Fallon’s Nick Burns – Computer Guy captured a lot of what people loathed (and feared) about computer support techs. The signature line was the condescending command that Nick gave to his clients as they sat in front of their machines: “Move!” In the two years since those sketches, computers have migrated from our desksRead… Read more »

The Washington Redskins need a name change – and so do these terms

President Obama recently suggested that the Washington Redskins change their name to something less offensive. Owner Dan Snyder responded last week with an impassioned letter that ends “We are Redskins Nation … and we owe it to our fans and coaches and players, past and present, to preserve that heritage.” I imagine this same toneRead… Read more »

The 2014 Fellowship

Between the 50 governments and the 650+ individuals who applied for a spot in the 2014 Fellowship program, Code for America’s selection committee had their work cut out for them — and with so many qualified applicants and innovative governments, the decisions were incredibly difficult. Thanks again to everyone who applied — you’re heroes toRead… Read more »

Sustainability Marketing: Driving Change with the Right Message

Peter Drucker, hailed by many as “the father of modern management,” saw marketing as “the whole business seen from the customer’s point of view.” It’s a simple definition with a clear focus on a single stakeholder – the customer and his or her point of view. Marketers looking to integrate sustainability into their brands mightRead… Read more »

Has government found its feet in social media?

Earlier today I gave a presentation to the IABC’s Canberra chapter on the use of social media within the Australian Government. The slide deck I used is below, and fairly well carries my point – that government has indeed found its feet in social media, however there’s still uneven ground waiting to trip it upRead… Read more »

3 Potential Outcomes to Fiscal Stalemate: how and when will it end?

According to the so-called “conventional wisdom” in Washington, the current fiscal impasse should end any day now. This is especially true as Thursday’s deadline fast approaches for dodging a disastrous debt default. Moreover, the American people’s anger continues to grow over the government shutdown. But what is considered to be Washington wisdom these days mayRead… Read more »

Fixing the Illinois Pension System by Investing in Local Economies

Today we read an article, INTERVIEW: When a State Doesn’t Realize Its Best, City-Level Assets, in which Pennsylvania Treasurer Rob McCord talked about the impact that the transfer of funding of education from a state to local responsibility would have on his state’s economy. While we might not have totally agreed with his hesitation toRead… Read more »