Friday, February 19, 2010
On Reinventing Government
Posted by John Branston on Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 12:52 PM
This is the problem with reinventing city and county government. Most of us have more immediate concerns.
The county charter commission is in the early stages of its labors. Reinventing government could be a good idea. Or it could be a way of diverting time and leadership from more pressing, fixable problems. A way of doing something without doing anything.
Conversations are fine. But members of Congress, the Tennessee General Assembly, Shelby County Commission, and Memphis City Council who can't stand each other are perfectly polite and amicable in social settings or in meetings where there are no consequences. "I have the greatest respect for my colleague, the gentleman/gentlelady from so-and-so" says to the gentleman/gentlelady from the other side of the aisle or the table. We've all seen that many times. It has all the lasting significance of the standing ovation given to The President before a State of the Union address.
Voting on specific items that have an impact on specific somebodies and specific projects next week or next month is another matter.
Members of the Memphis City Council are often maligned. Sometimes they deserve it. But sitting in those 13 chairs where talk is cheap and votes count is very different from writing a commentary or attending a meeting.
Memphis and Shelby County may have an outdated government structure. The case for changing it would have more clout if the elected and appointed city and county leadership independently pared their budgets. If the leadership can't cut two governments down to size, how will one big government be cut down to size? Sorry, attrition is not a credible answer.
I have seen numbers this week stating that our municipal governments have more than 14,000 employees, not counting schools. Consolidated governments in Louisville and Indianapolis and Jacksonville, it is stated, have 6,000 to 8,500 employees. I have enough trouble keeping up with local numbers to confirm the accuracy or time frame of some other city's numbers. The implication is that a metro Memphis government could function ably with a third fewer employees.
If so, then mayors Wharton and Ford and the City Council and County Commission have their charge. As did their predecessors Willie Herenton, Dick Hackett, Jim Rout, and Bill Morris. As did Sheriff Mark Luttrell and his predecessors.
Where are these thousands of overlapping or unneeded municipal employees? Who will identify them and give them their pink slips? Why have they been overlooked for so long, when there is a budget "crisis" nearly every year? When will "the efficiencies" by cuts or attrition take place?
It's been suggested to me that I attend some of the meetings on reinventing government. Fair enough. Anyone who spouts off should go to unfamiliar places and talk and listen to people they don't know. That goes for executives who want to influence public policy but haven't been to the city council in years, too.
My experience is that people show up for meetings about something they care deeply about — a crime wave in their neighborhood, the prospect of a nearby school closing, optional school enrollment, or a strip club that wants to move in. Nobody has to tell them to come. On the other hand, I have been to countless meetings where a handful of people come, often paid advocates or their friends. Or nobody comes, like some of the meetings a search firm held to determine "what the community wants" in a city school superintendent, pre Kriner Cash.
There's an adage on the speakers' circuit that says "get their restroom rating." In other words, civility aside, what do you really think? Are you in or out? One of the challenges for reinventing government will be finding out what people really think, what their takeaway is, and what the action plan is.
The City Council meets Tuesday. A budget update will be given, and decisions will be made about funding Memphis City Schools. They'll also be talking about single-beer sales downtown, the issue that has generated the most calls to their office this week, hands down. This is not a drill. This is the context for the conversation.
Comments (25)
Showing 1-25 of 25
Lost in this stream of consciousness is a thread of logic:
Your points underscore the fact that the current structure and bloat nullify any real efficiencies by one body, if another remains stagnant
if the future is as irrelevant as he points out why bother in any way shape or form to improve this community's downward spiral- crime, education, workforce, poverty..we know our challenges as a community and are obligated to work on them
You take an insular look at government but ignores the signs that as a competitive market/community we are being outpaced in econ growth, skilled workforce, capital investment, etc., dual governments keep us with a lack of common vision/direction/priority
You never mentions the continual bickering/lawsuits over who owes whom..from a handshake 30 yrs ago..but we need $$$ so let's battle it out in court govt entity vs govt entity
The fierce urgency of now that you speak about..calls out even more that the current system/structure for delivery of services be changed
the charter process is underway, like it or not...agree or disagree, and to ignore or diminish the first opportunitty in 30 yrs to reshape the way government works..and take a look back (30 yrs) and envision our future (30 yrs) requires a certain care, citizenship, and responsibility..not simply for ourselves today.. but for our children and our chidlren's children..tomorrow.
Most amazingly of all, your comments in effect repudiate your years of complaining about the ways things. This is the right time and the right thing to do. The status quo is a prescription for disaster.
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More than anything else, I'm intrigued by the idea that we would be able to create a government where the greatest number of our representatives are elected based on identifiable neighborhoods rather than disjunctive super districts.
www.RebuildGovernment.org or 347-8623.
John,
Once again, thanks for engaging this important issue.
We are seeing some version of this comment sprinkled everywhere, and it is the usual magical fairy dust that otherwise tough-thinking, engaged citizens love to inhale: “Memphis and Shelby County may have an outdated government structure. The case for changing it would have more clout if the elected and appointed city and county leadership independently pared their budgets. If the leadership can't cut two governments down to size, how will one big government be cut down to size?”
Here’s the thing, John – for how many decades have people been saying this? And what happens, year after year after year? The structure of government in Memphis/Shelby is killing us, John – almost everyone we talk to agrees on that. Again we ask – offer some ideas you believe the Charter Commission would be wise to include in its document.
And it is a fallacy to say the new charter would create one bigger government. If we leverage resources -- one IT department instead of two, one mayoral staff instead of two, one CAO and staff, one CFO and staff, etc. -- then over time, yes indeed, attrition can and will reduce the size of government. Not to mention eliminating whole sets of onerous regulations smothering entrepreneurship and economic development. Plus, speaking with one voice and eliminating duplicative services would amplify our ability to raise revenue from various sources -- not least by bringing more clout to Nashville and D.C. Right now, the rest of the state (not to mention Miss. and Ark.) knows it can count on Memphis/Shelby to bicker and squabble and come to the table weary and bitter and begging for scraps.
When Jacksonville general counsel Rick Mullaney visited, he pointed out that the Pollyanna idea of just doing some more cooperatin’ and collaboratin’ is insufficient for a true transformation: "You'll get some stuff in the margins but it's not going to get you what I am talking about."
The Charter Commission is meeting. Task forces are coming up with ideas. The clock is ticking. Isn’t the responsible thing right now to offer up ideas for how we can get better government?
Come join the conversation. www.RebuildGovernment.org or 347-8623.
You can also join our "conversation" at www.SaveShelbyCounty.org . The biggest "take away" from this whole debate is that Consolidation cannot be sold on cost savings. AC has stated such. If there's another selling point, that's fine, but the voters need to know this from the beginning. Which begs the question - Why Consolidation ?
Actually, "Rebuild-Government," you ought to sign in as a human being if you really want to have a "conversation." Conversing with an anonymous rep is meaningless.
Why Consolidation??? How can you even ask that?
Consolidation because *someone* has to think of the children, that's why.
Consolidation so that we can do our duty in this time of war against evil, and root out domestic dissent at home.
Consolidation because Elvis would have wanted it that way, and Jesus does want it that way.
Consolidation to answer the cries of 'Won't somebody DO something?'.
Consolidation because the Constitution says so in Article 1 sec34, Paragraph 819(j) part 7.
And in closing, I say to you that extremism in defense of LibertyLand is no vice, while moderation in the pursuit of Bass Pro is no fur chew.
Consolidation today, consolidation tomorrow, consolidation forever.
Big bloated city government + debt ridden county government + inept politicians = a unified metro government that is lean and mean and completely efficient.
That is called new math and it doesn't add up. Prove you can fix the existing problems before you combine the two. It's like the disfunctional couple who can't make a dating relationship work, so they decide to get married to fix all the problems. We all know how that turns out.
ACtually, Bruce, you are conversing with anonymous people all the time. And Rebuild Government is responding as an organization and that's 30 co-chairs headed by Brian Stephens and Darrell Cobbins. Take the time to get the facts instead of side comments that are meaningless.
As for Tom Guleff, never has one man fought so hard to keep the status quo that he constantly criticizes. He wants us to take our eyes off the ball, but it's obvious to Stevie Wonder that there are layers and layers of duplication and duplicated workforce. But there are benefits much greater than money and he knows it. That's why as usual, he majors in minors.
If this organization wants the citizens of Shelby County to trust in the government and to have us believe that this new consolidated government will work for them, I have a great suggestion for you. Remove any hint of conflict of interest from your organization. Brian Stephens should step down from this organization or the Election Commission. End of story. Until this happens, unfortunately the voters see the perception of the same old players trying to line up an inside straight. In your current form, you have zero percent chance of persuading those against consolidation otherwise.
SaveourShelby: It's true, I communicate with anonymous people all the time, but they don't claim to represent an organization that wants to reinvent our government. Who is it that's speaking from behind the curtain? It's not an unreasonable question to ask. I'm not sure yet how I feel about any of this consolidation stuff, but at least Guleff puts his name on his opinion. It's easier to take a stand -- or attack someone personally -- when you don't sign your name.
Not to make light of the conversation- but I am pretty anonymous and represent a very powerful organization. But I warn you on calling me out on the anonymous nature of my postings- if you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
Urbanut: If you don't name the "powerful organization" you represent, then no one knows what it is or what it stands for. So that's rather beside the point of this conversation, isn't it?
Well our name is still being decided in our Naming Committee for said Powerful Organization. Who we are and what we stand for is our own business thank you very much.
I apologize- just trying to inject a little humor into this crossfire.
Post-weekend, there's a bit of a creepy Big Brother feel to this effort, including the ad in Sunday's Commercial Appeal from Rebuild Government, accompanied by zero reporting or columnizing from the newspaper. There was a time when a scribe would have been assigned a who-what-when-where-why story but no more.
Hmm. I left my paper at the Harrell Theater in Collierville and didn't see the ad. But it sounds like the sort of thing Mr. Peck has been dreaming of for some time:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/…
So anyone thought about predicting the future by looking at the past?
When you saddle the people who fled Memphis for the county, with Memphis level taxes and Memphis caliber services, guess where they are going to flee next?
Does 'ReinventingGovernment' have a back up plan to annex north Mississippi?
The things that are being discussed in this editorial, is old news pertaining to city and state government issues. Until the people who sat in those thirteen seats are identified as people who are not producing results and are removed from their seats, that will alleviate some of these political issues and social problems that have existed in this city for far too long.
Until we have people from top down in the city and state government, who are willing to listen objectively to the problems that citizens of this city are experiencing, the problems will continue to plague us, and Memphis will continue to remain stagnant from an economical, job, health and overall business perspective.
Why is the city constantly having budgetary issues, each and every year? Why are our schools, as well as our colleges in Memphis experiencing budgetary mess? Why do we continually have high crime, in a relatively small city? Why aren't new businesses moving, or bringing jobs to the Memphis area? Instead, corporations are moving their operations to rural areas outside of Memphis.
Why do we have the lowest cost of living, but have one of the country's highest sales taxes, high unemployment, and high teenage pregnancies?
Citizens of this city and state, are continually voting people in office, who are not addressing these issues, and the issues I mentioned, are just the tip of the iceberg. The issues are going to go away until they are dealt with in a logical manner....
I apologize for the typos.
The things that are being discussed in this editorial, is old news pertaining to city and state government issues. Until the people who sat in those thirteen seats are identified as people who are not producing results and are removed from their seats, that will alleviate some of these political issues and social problems that have existed in this city for far too long.
Until we have people from top down in the city and state government, who are willing to listen and act objectively to the problems that citizens of this city are experiencing, the problems will continue to plague us, and Memphis will continue to remain stagnant from an economical, job, health and overall business perspective.
Why is the city constantly having budgetary issues, each and every year? Why are our schools, as well as our colleges in Memphis are one big budgetary mess? Why do we continually have high crime, in a relatively small city? Why aren't new businesses moving, or bringing jobs to the Memphis area? Instead, corporations are moving their operations to rural areas outside of Memphis.
Why do we have the lowest cost of living, but have one of the country's highest sales taxes, high unemployment, and high teenage pregnancies?
Citizens of this city and state, are continually voting people in office, who are not addressing these issues, and the issues I mentioned, are just the tip of the iceberg. The issues are NOT going to go away until they are dealt with objectively and in a logical manner....
Bruce said: SaveourShelby: It's true, I communicate with anonymous people all the time, but they don't claim to represent an organization that wants to reinvent our government. Who is it that's speaking from behind the curtain? It's not an unreasonable question to ask. I'm not sure yet how I feel about any of this consolidation stuff, but at least Guleff puts his name on his opinion. It's easier to take a stand -- or attack someone personally -- when you don't sign your name.
Bruce: It's not like it's a big secret. The names are printed on Rebuild Government website and the people running it - Brian Stephens and Darrell Cobbins - have been in the media a number of times.
If you see a curtain, it's easy to pull it back and look behind it. And if someone is posting for an organization, whether its this one or the Rotary, this is the kind of issue that only the media care about.
Let's be honest, Zach and Brian are paid guns, if www.saveshelbycounty.org paid them more, we could probably get them or someone else like them in this town. Cut off the secret funding and they go home. Zach & Brian are just the hired front men in the show. There's nothing new in how this game is played in this town. We are just teaching the next generation of young and ambitious "activists/politicos" how to play it. How did Brian get a budget of $1 million dollars? Going door to door? Asking NewPath? :)
As Mike Rhude said, "...unfortunately the voters see the perception of the same old players trying to line up an inside straight." Nail on head.
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