posted by David Kidd

Governing writer John Buntin and I were in Denver in February to look into that city's use of DNA testing as a means of catching crooks. Our plane was delayed at both ends of our trip and as a result, we had to drive from the airport to the Denver Police headquarters as quickly as possible. I was the wheelman while John worked his phone, filing a story he had written in his head on the plane. I noticed two things on our rapid drive into town: One, Denver drivers are a courteous bunch who share the road and obey the posted speed limits. Two: A police car was following us.

As John dictated his story about the recent governor's conference in Washington, I rehearsed what I would say to the officer when he pulled me over. But eventually the patrol car slowed down and headed off down an exit ramp to who knows where, and soon enough we were downtown looking for a place to park. Denver is pretty easy to get around, and parking didn't seem to be much of a problem either.

We later heard, from multiple sources, that California's Governor Schwarzenegger is a mile-high parking lot mogul. But no one could agree on exactly which of the many surface lots he owns. Looking down from the window of the district Attorney's office, you can see a patchwork of lots where three-story brick buildings once stood. But now, in many blocks, the voids seemed to outnumber the remaining structures.

I've finally gotten used to paying for parking the modern way, which is to park in a numbered spot, swiping your credit card at a sleek-looking ATM-type device that spits out a ticket, which you place to be seen through the windshield. These things have been around for a number of years now but I resisted until it was futile. I saw them long ago in Europe before I ever saw them here. The Old Country was way ahead of us on the parking payment front.

But paying to park here was not going to be so easy. I wheeled the rental Chevy into a beautiful spot and strode toward the payment machine. But what I found was a decidedly low-tech yellow box with rows of slots. Each slot had a number corresponding to a space on the lot. We needed to put five dollars into our slot, with no hope of a receipt. So I took a picture of John pressing a folded bill into the box, as proof of payment when we submitted our expense report.

Perhaps because we were headed to see the Chief of Police, the District Attorney and the head of Denver's crime lab, we were in a law enforcement frame of mind. The first building we saw, or that we at least paid attention to, loomed just beyond the parking lot. Clean and tall, with narrow windows and devoid of ornamentation, we decided it was the new jail. But instead, it turned out to be a museum of art.

Further adding to the impression that this art museum might be a jail was the jumble of telephone poles and power lines that ran along side the place. It really doesn't look very nice, especially for a place that exists to bring art to the masses.

(It wouldn't have looked nice as a prison either.)

I married a girl from Holland almost 25 years ago. For 25 years she has been saying "I can't believe that in America you have these ridiculous telephone poles everywhere. They look awful and are so old fashioned." My weak defense has been that the wooden poles add character to cities and towns. Their charm is derived from their utilitarian nature. They are pretty in an ugly sort of way.

But I know my European wife is right. The Old Country is embarrassing us with their modern ways. You wouldn't see a visual mess like this in Holland, except of course for the jumble of wires overhead that power all the trams in every city. I'll have to raise that point the next time she brings it up.

Colorado is going to elect a new governor this year, and the state's unsightly power lines have become a platform issue for at least one of the candidates, Republican Y. J. Mager, who says on her Web site: 

Our infrastructures need updated [sic]. It is of my opinion that we have fallen behind the world in this area. The existing outside, uncovered utility lines are antiquated and need to be placed underground. This will be a huge undertaking but will create jobs and will make Colorado a safer state to live in.

Except for her views on utility poles, I don’t know anything at all about Ms. Mager and have no idea as to whether or not she ought to be the next governor. But I do hope that her ideas about exposed wires are embraced by all and that this sparks a revolution that spreads across the country.

But I don’t think elected officials should get involved with art museums. Beauty is still in the eye of the beholder.

posted by Josh Goodman

I tend to think that one mistake people often make (in business, in government, in life in general) is to assume that maintaining the status quo is the safest course of action. In a session I moderated on cloud computing at Governing's Managing Technology conference, I heard a great illustration of this lesson.

The City of Los Angeles is in the process of outsourcing its e-mail system to a private company (Google). The data behind the e-mail no longer will be housed in a government office building. Instead, it will be housed in privately managed data centers all over the country.

That sounds risky. And, in fact, it is risky. Los Angeles is one of the first (if not the first) city to pursue this sort of plan. So, lots of people understandably questioned whether Los Angeles was pursuing an unnecessarily dangerous course of action. Kevin Crawford, Los Angeles' assistant general manager (essentially an assistant city manager), described the sentiment: "I can't go down and hug my server anymore and therefore it's not secure."

Crawford described some of rewards of switching the e-mail system. He argued that outsourcing the system would save money by reducing the city staff administering the data center. He pointed to a public records request that, under the old system, took (if my memory is accurate) 142 hours of staff time. With the new system, it would have taken 10 minutes.

Crawford, though, also made another case: That the biggest risk would have been doing nothing at all. Los Angeles' data center is in a single government building that isn't earthquake proof. One disaster in one place and the city's e-mails could have been gone. The new data centers will have better security staffing too.

So, Crawford's argument was, in effect, that familiar risks are still risks  -- and that being able to hug your servers is overrated.

posted by John Buntin

One of the most controversial tactics in the fight against health reform has been the conservative push to nullify health reform at the state level.

The New England Journal of Medicine has posted this handy map of where those efforts currently stand (as of 3/11/10).

posted by John Buntin

Governing has long been committed to reporting stories the old fashioned way: by sending a reporter out to spend several days reporting a story on site. So when we decided to write a piece about Denver's aggressive -- and strikingly successful -- use of DNA evidence to combat property crime, it was clear from the beginning that doing so would entail spending several days talking with officials from District Attorney Mitch Morrissey and Denver Police Chief Gerald Whitman to retired officers and members of the Denver PD's cold case unit.

As a writer, I love sitting down with public officials' in their offices (or, in this case, in their mobile crime labs and at the scenes of the notorious crimes they worked) and really listening to what they have to say. There's nothing like being there, three feet away, to cut through the clutter of Blackberrys, conference calls, meetings, and e-mails. But there's another great reason to travel as well. It's not just what you hear; it's what you see. For not only does Governing foot the bill for reporters such as myself to travel, the magazine also frequently sends us out with a talented photographer behind the camera, Governing design director/photo editor David Kidd.

Traveling with David is one of the joys of working at Governing. There's no missing him: he's 6' 5", with long blond hair. There's also the $12,000 of photographic equipment he rolls with it. But it's David's personality, more even than his flair with the camera, that makes traveling with him magic. His friendliness and curiosity about people is like an irresistible infectious disease: virtually everyone succumbs. Interesting revelations and experiences frequently result -- visits to the neighborhood gym where a veteran cop who left the neighborhood long ago still works out, or trips to the rooftop of abandoned row houses with a stunning view of downtown Baltimore. (David loves roofs, train stations, and the chiaroscuro of state capital domes.)

Part of persuading people to open up is being open yourself. During our recent trip to Denver (for a story which will appear in next month's issue) I saw that first hand when David and I wandered into Rockmount Ranch Ware, one of Denver's most fabled establishments. There, David encountered 90-year-old Sam, who'd worked at Rockmount for 62 years. Sam couldn't hear very well, but in no time at all, he'd sold David, who normally tends towards subtle graphite collars, his first snap-button cowboy shirt.

Want to see David in his Western gear? Check back here on Friday.

Until then, to everyone who has ever met with a Governing writer in your office, thank you!

Story Behind the Story appears every Thursday.

posted by Josh Goodman

Governing announced the winner of our state and local government journalism award, the Hal Hovey award, last month. As usual, we received a bunch of good applicants, so I wanted to highlight a couple of the entries that didn't win.

One was a fascinating series in the Naples Daily News about Ave Maria, a town in Florida where democracy doesn't exist and, unless rules are changed, will never exist. That sounds too amazing to be true, but it was the provocative thesis of the series by reporter Liam Dillon. Here's the thrust of the story:

What [citizen Kathy] Delaney didn’t know is that Ave Maria’s founders already had decided how the town northeast of Naples would be ruled. They would have the power to control the town forever. This power, some say, is so great, it might be unconstitutional.

The founders, former Domino’s Pizza magnate Tom Monaghan and local landowner and county namesake Barron Collier Cos., wrote and lobbied for a state law that established Ave Maria’s government. In June 2004, it became law over Ave Maria, the 11,000 acres of former farm fields that center on a university in the Catholic tradition.

...

The law gives Monaghan and Barron Collier Cos. more power than any Florida developer in at least 24 years, power perhaps not seen since the days of the early 20th century land boom. The law makes landowners, not registered voters, the ultimate authority in Ave Maria. The law ensures Monaghan and Barron Collier Cos., as the largest landowners, can control Ave Maria’s government forever.

How is this possible? Ave Maria isn't a city or a town under the law, but rather a new form of special-purpose government that is somewhere between a general-purpose government and a homeowners association. Not everyone agrees that Dillon got the story right, but, regardless, the series raised really interesting questions I hadn't previously considered about the power of special districts and whether they should have to conform to democratic norms.

The Sacramento Bee also produced very good series (here, here and here) looking at the origins of California's fiscal problems. The tale involves a rich history of poor financial decisions. I especially liked this part:

But even extending the sales tax to currently untaxed goods has proved to be an iffy proposition. In 1991, lawmakers desperate for revenues extended the sales tax to snack foods, bottled water, and newspapers and magazines.

Defining exactly what constituted a snack food, however, became a daunting task for tax officials. Tortilla chips, peanuts, granola and whole apple pies, the state Board of Equalization decided, were not taxable. Doritos, pretzels, granola bars and slices of apple pie were taxable.

"Doughnuts aren't taxable, but doughnut holes are," fumed Assemblyman Mickey Conroy, R-Orange. "I think it's a disgrace."

So did voters. The following year, they decisively repealed the "snack tax."

California's doughnut hole tax is my new favorite anecdote about the absurdities of state tax policy -- I've probably told it to three or four people already. Yes, when you're a reporter at Governing, you need a stockpile of anecdotes about the absurdities of state tax policy. What else would we talk about?

Story Behind the Story appears every Tuesday.

posted by Tina Trenkner

Governments have performance data to judge the efficiency of the programs they put in place. Naturally, online sites have metrics too. How soon will that data be used to drive how an agency uses its Web site or social media?

I was surprised to see that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posts its online metrics on its Web page. I found out about these metrics through a tweeted link coming from attendees at a social media conference in Atlanta. One of the presentations at the conference referred to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -- the CDC especially -- as government entities that monitor their online presence especially well.

I followed the tweeted link, clicked around a bit and oh, wow. They have pages among pages of what they do with social media and what the effects have been:

This is screen shot of the CDC's eHealth Metrics dashboard. This is only about a quarter of it, so I encourage you to check out the whole page here.

What I found really interesting this a report the CDC put together a few weeks ago regarding how the agency's online activities addressing the H1N1 virus. Their report found that (among other stats):

Is it a common practice for an agency to publish its own online data? This is the first time I've ever seen something like this. I can only imagine that if state and local governments start posting their metrics on their sites, analysis of that data could lead to additional and or more refined Gov 2.0 best practices (since guidelines and best practices on how to use social media are starting to emerge.) Would your state or local agency have any reservations about posting its Web and social media data?

If you know of other government agencies on any level of government that publishes its own online data, please let me know at ttrenkner@governing.com.

(h/t to Twitter user @shelholtz for mentioning the CDC link and to @dslunceford, @govtwit, @krazykriz and @kayawalton for [re]tweeting it)

posted by John Buntin

The annual winter meeting of the National Governors Association this past weekend in D.C. began -- as all state and local meetings must nowadays -- with some dire fiscal news.

In a fiscal update presented jointly with the National Association of State Budget Officers, NGA laid out the hard truth:

State revenues are continuing to deteriorate, as most states are witnessing actual monthly totals lower than their recent forecasts, which have been revised downward. States also face combined remaining budget gaps of $134.0 billion for FY 2010-2012. This means that states have not bottomed yet because not only has there been no leveling of revenues, but Medicaid has continued to grow rapidly. In January 2010, states eliminated 18,000 jobs, and according to the survey, states will continue to shed jobs this year. Not only will this be a direct drag on the economy, but due to states’ balanced budget requirements, they will continue to cut spending and increase taxes, which will also weaken the economy and, thus, its ability to generate private sector jobs. States foresee fiscal year 2011, which starts for most states July 1, 2010, to be the most difficult to date, and few see fiscal year 2012 much better.

Despite the grim news, though there was still some good humor on display at the governors' opening session. Governing heavy-hitters Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana and Gov. Mike Beebe of Arkansas seemed to be in particularly spirits. Beebe, who arrived to the press conference a little late, noted Schweitzer's blue jeans and bolo tie and said he was feeling "a little overdressed."

To which Schweitzer replied, "Oh did you find that suit at Wal-Mart?" (The mega-retailer is headquartered in Arkansas.)

 Brian Schweitzer, keepin' it casual.

Mike Beebe in a suit that didn't come from Wal-Mart. Maybe.

In fact, only New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie didn't seem to be having fun. Indeed, Christie, a Republican, looked downright uncomfortable, thanks in part to all the positive talk about how helpful the federal stimulus has been for states. 

One reporter tried to put Christie on the spot, asking if the stimulus had helped New Jersey. Christie edged, saying: "It certainly helped states like New Jersey and others not have to confront the difficult choices we're now having to confront, but it really just postponed them. I would say my view on it, at least from a personal perspective, was to push the problem from the Corzine administration to the Christie administration."

Chris Christie, not in the mood for laughs.

Maybe Christie would have been more jovial if he'd been wearing a bolo tie?

Thanks to Governing's David Kidd for taking these photos!

posted by John Buntin 

A big day in the health reform world. First, Kaiser Health News reports that insurers across the nation are raising insurance premiums dramatically — and generating widespread protests in response. Will that generate new enthusiasm for health reform?

The White House seems to think so. According to CQ (behind a firewall, alas), the Obama administration is planning to release a final version of health reform legislation, potentially as early as February 21st.

CQ says the new legislation will serve as the basis for the bipartisan health care summit President Obama hopes to host on February 25th. It also seems to be the legislative destination that Democrats in the House and the Senate would agree to arrive at if the House were to pass the Senate version of health reform and then amend it during the budget reconciliation process. (Democratic allies in organized labor are reportedly concerned about vague promises to fix problems in reconciliation. Putting an agreed-upon end product out now would presumably allay those concerns.) All told, an intriguing day — and next week promises to be even better!

posted by John Buntin

In the February issue of Governing, my colleague Josh Goodman wrote about Utah's health exchange — a free-market alternative to the Massachusetts Commonwealth Connector. Where the Connector has substantial regulatory power, the Utah Health Exchange is more like a bazaar where small businesses are invited in to browse for policies. As Josh made clear, Utah officials hope the result will be better, more affordable health insurances without big government.

While officials in Utah have high hopes for their exchange, the state's early experiences have been a bit...problematic.

Only 600 people have signed up, and some of the companies participating have been startled to find higher insurance premiums within the exchange than outside of it. Now House Speaker David Clark is stepping in. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, he's introduced legislation that will require insurers to calculate a single small business rate, as opposed to separate rates for companies inside and out of the exchange. The bill would also prevent insurers from underwriting based on certain preexisting conditions and require them to publish satisfaction measures. Finally, Clark would invite larger employers to join the pool.

Will this legislation pass, and more important still, will it work?

Meanwhile, as of February 1, 24,000 people had purchased health insurance through Massachusetts's Commonwealth Connector. Am I missing something here, or does the Connector model look a lot stronger at this point? Your feedback is welcome. In the meantime, here's a presentation from Connector executive director Jon Kingsdale on how MA's health reform works.

posted by Tina Trenkner

Last month, when I spoke to e-communications firm Delib founder Chris Quigley (who filmed a short documentary about President Obama's Open Government memo one year later), he told me that this same memo may have impacted government leaders across the pond.

A potential case in point: U.K. Conservative Party leader David Cameron's TEDTalk on "The Next Age of Government."

If you're not familiar with TEDTalks, they are videos from speakers often representing or discussing a topic of interest within at least one of three spheres: technology, entertainment and design.  Topics can vary greatly; many of them could be influential, inspiring and potential useful to government officials looking for unique points-of-view. This 14-minute video outlines how Cameron sees government transparency as a way to improve peoples' well-being.

Cameron's talk, taped in London, is a bit U.S.-centric and included the Missouri Accountability Portal and the Chicago Police Department's ClearMap as examples of transparency and accountability. To view the whole talk, click below. For more TEDTalks, click here.