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NEWS: May 22, 2013
Federal CIO to Lead OMB's Management Team Temporarily Steven VanRoekel will temporarily lead the White House Office of Management and Budget's management team while continuing to serve as the federal government's chief information officer. Last week, President Obama tapped the previous OMB deputy director for management, Danny Werfel, to temporarily lead the embattled Internal Revenue Service. >> Nextgov Fired Detroit Library Official Charged with Taking Bribes Tim Cromer, who was fired in Feburary as chief administrative officer of the Detroit Public library following FBI raids of library offices and his home, was indicted along with two technology contractors on allegations that he took bribes and kickbacks totaling $1.4 million. >> Detroit News
Councilman Defeats Controller in $33 Million Race for Mayor With City Councilman Eric Garcetti holding an eight-point lead, City Controller Wendy Greuel called Garcetti early this morning to concede the race for mayor, ending a two-year campaign that, at $33 million, was the most expensive in the city's history. >> Los Angeles Times Harrisburg Voters Oust Embattled Mayor Linda Thompson, the embattled mayor of Pennsylvania's financially crippled capital of Harrisburg, was ousted on Tuesday when she lost the Democratic primary to the owner of an independent bookstore. >> Reuters Pittsburgh Councilman Wins Mayoral Primary With a convincing win for the Democratic nomination for mayor of Pittsburgh, City Councilman Bill Peduto was on the threshold of capturing the office he's sought in three campaigns. >> Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Portland Voters Reject Fluoridation for 4th Time Despite support by five city commissioners and health advocacy groups, Portland, Ore., voters soundly rejected a plan to fluoridate city water. It was the city's fourth defeat for fluoridation since 1956. >> Portland Oregonian Efficiency | St. Paul/Ramsey County, Minn. County Ending Joint-Purchasing Arrangement St. Paul has handled purchasing for Ramsey County since the early 1960s, but the county is ending the joint-purchasing arrangement. County board Chairman Rafael Ortega said the cost of using the city office was "prohibitive," while county Finance Director Lee Mehrkens cited the city's and county's different business practices and software. >> St. Paul Pioneer Press OMB Finance Rules Aim to Focus Agencies on Outcomes Aiming to focus federal agencies on outputs and outcomes rather than inputs, the Office of Management and Budget is finalizing a new directive to change financial-management processes. >> Federal News Radio
IRS Official to Take the Fifth Lois Lerner, the Internal Revenue Service official at the eye of the storm over the improper scrutiny of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, will refuse to answer questions from the House Oversight Committee today. Lerner stated her intention to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination through her attorney, who said she "has not committed any crime or made any misrepresentation." >> The Hill Ex-IRS Chief 'Dismayed' by Targeting of Groups Former IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman told the Senate Finance Committee that he was "dismayed and saddened" by revelations that his agency targeted conservative political groups but that he had been unaware of the problem until after it was fixed. >> USA Today Watchdog Group Sues IRS over Tax-Exemption Rules The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a lawsuit to compel the IRS to impose stricter standards for what types of groups qualify for tax-exempt status. >> Washington Post The Military | The Nation DISA Cancels $45 Million Sole-Source Data Contract The Defense Information Systems Agency abruptly canceled a $45 million sole-source contract it awarded in April to a small disadvantaged business in Hanover, Md., to store of hundreds of billions of satellite and drone imagery files. DISA said it planned instead "to pursue competitive means" to award the contract. >> Nextgov Army Suspends Fort Jackson's Commander The Army announced that it had suspended the commander of Fort Jackson, S.C., Brig. Gen. Bryan T. Roberts, amid misconduct allegations that include adultery and a physical altercation. >> Military Times
Consultants: University Losing Ground to Other 'Public Ivies' A higher-education consulting firm had a blunt message for the University of Virginia's governing board: Despite U-Va.'s vaunted stature as a "public Ivy," school and state leaders have been complacent in the past 15 years and U-Va. is now falling behind many of its competitors. >> Washington Post >> Follow GovManagement on Twitter >> Share this edition:
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VIEWPOINT The Presidency | Doyle McManus The Second-Term Scandal Plague What is it about presidents' second terms that makes them seem so scandal-ridden? The iron law of longevity. All governments make mistakes, and all governments try to hide those mistakes. But the longer an administration is in office, the more errors it makes and the harder they are to conceal. Just ask Richard M. Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton or George W. Bush, all of whom spent much of their second terms playing defense. >> Los Angeles Times | More commentaries DATAPOINT 47% Percentage of 233 senior-level state- and local-government officials surveyed by Governing magazine who say they have a positive view of President Obama, down from an approval rating of 54 percent last summer, while 62 percent of the surveyed officials say the country is on the wrong track, up from 39 percent last year >> Governing | More data
“It is expensive. It is inefficient. It hurts us, in terms of our international standing. It lessens cooperation with our allies on counter-terrorism efforts. It is a recruitment tool for extremists. It needs to be closed.” President Obama, pledging to redouble efforts on his failed first-term campaign promise to close the Guantanamo Bay prison for terrorism suspects >> McClatchy Newspapers/Miami Herald | More quotes UPCOMING EVENTS Center for American Progress Discussion: The Case for Diverse Voices in Public Policy" Today, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. American Society for Public Administration Webinar: "Grantwriting 101--Using Outcome-Driven Learning to Build Sustainable Nonprofit Organizations" Today, 1 p.m. ET American Society for Public Administration and National Academy of Public Administration Memos to National Leaders Capstone Event Today, 2-4 p.m., Washington, D.C. Association of Government Accountants Audio conference: "Ethics" Today, 2 p.m. ET American Enterprise Institute Discussion: "NCLB Sanctions: Tests Taken, Lessons Learned" Today, 5-6:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. Heritage Foundation Discussion: "Strength and Focus: The Future of U.S. National Security" May 23, 10-11:30 a.m. ET, Washington, D.C. American Enterprise Institute Discussion: "Competing Visions of the Common Good: Rethinking Help for the Poor" May 23, noon-1:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. Heritage Foundation Address by Donald Rumsfeld: "Rumsfeld's Rules: Leadership Lessons in Business, Politics, War and Life" May 23, noon-1 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. GovLoop and Symantec Online training: "Securely Navigating the Cyber Threat Landscape" May 23, 2-3 p.m. ET Brookings Institution Discussion: "Act of Congress: How America's Essential Institution Works, and How It Doesn't" May 28, 2-3:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. University of Colorado-Denver School of Public Affairs Annual Network Leadership Training Academy May 29-31, Denver >> Full events listings |
