Yesterday Don Drummond – a leading economist hired by the Ontario government to review how the province delivers services in the face of declining economic growth and rising deficits – published his report. There is much to commend, it lays out stark truths that frankly, many citizens already know, but that government was too afraidRead… Read more »
Very few town board or city councils actually set goals or involve the community in goal setting and reviewing the accomplishment of goals. Bay City Michigan (population 35,000), does all of the above. As reported in the Bay City News , the City Commission invited the public to participate in a Saturday meeting to setRead… Read more »
Today I am publishing a guest post from Pia Waugh, a well known open government and open source advocate who recently left Senator Lundy’s office as her IT Advisor to take on a mystery role in the APS. Pia attended the presentation and dinner with Vivek Kundra on Tuesday (which I also attended). Vivek isRead… Read more »
Nominations are now open for the National Association of Government Communicators’ most prestigious award: “Communicator of the Year.” Each year, NAGC awards a government communicator who has helped instill public trust by effectively presenting accurate, timely and meaningful information, sometimes under exceptional circumstances. The award is presented at the annual NAGC Communications School, which willRead… Read more »
Jacqueline Simon, Public Policy Director at the American Federation of Government Employees, has written a detailed rebuke of the recent Congressional Budget Office study comparing the compensation of federal and private-sector employees. It’s a must-read. American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO CBO Study of Federal vs. Private Sector Pay Compensation – Many Flaws in AnalysisRead… Read more »
A recent Pew Research Center report titled The Rising Age Gap in Economic Well-being contends that the old prosper relative to the young and they provide abundant statistics to prove their assumption. I’m tired of the constant subtle attacks on anyone that did the right things throughout their lives; saved, worked hard, spent responsibly, paidRead… Read more »
Raleigh, NC—City Council adopts open source policy On Tuesday, February 7, the Raleigh City Council passed an Open Source Government Resolution, unanimously, promoting the use of open source software and open data. The resolution includes language that puts open source software on the same playing field as proprietary software in the procurement process. It alsoRead… Read more »
Mobile apps are hot. Everyone’s got one, from grocery stores to travel companies to whisky distillers. Last week Rob Giggey began an interesting discussion about whether or not agencies/departments within a single government entity should have their own mobile apps.Should we separate a public library database search from emergency services and general info into theirRead… Read more »
The City of Reno Nevada (population 220,000) has created an Open Government Team, which on their web site is described below as: Open Government Team We are currently forming an internal Open Government Team led by our Web Services Manager. Team members will come from all departments and all levels, with the intention of supportingRead… Read more »
Important government transparency programs would receive a small boost if the President’s proposed budget for FY 2013 were enacted. The Electronic Government Fund, which supports Data.gov, the IT Spending Dashboard, and USASpending.gov, among other programs, would increase by $4.2 million in FY 2013, from $12.4 million in FY 2013 to $16.665 million in FY 2013.Read… Read more »