I am a 40 year public servant, having spent the vast majority of that time (37 years) as a non-elected civil service employee. For 24 years I was an assistant general manager or general manager of medium-sized to large-sized public safety organizations in the City of Inglewood (Police Officer to Deputy Police Chief), City of […]
One of the biggest mistakes federal job candidates make is failing to sell themselves through accomplishments. Some candidates believe that listing accomplishments is only done on résumés in the corporate world. Not true! Actually, a résumé for a position in the federal government must show your qualifications to warrant that you meet eligibility requirements. (In […]
For generations the hallmark of government employment has been rock-steady job security. Career public sector employees often cite job security, together with generous retirement and fringe benefit packages, as factors which initially attracted them to their jobs and serve as a powerful retention force. However, the Great Recession has seen venerability turn to vulnerability. Government […]
Aging baby boomers, coupled with early retirement incentives designed to reduce salary loads, are swelling the ranks of retired public service professionals. Despite this crop of 60’s era retirees’ declaration that they would not toil into their advanced years like their parents’ generation, and notwithstanding generous pensions, many pursue encore careers. Motives may include bolstering […]
Government outsourcing, or privatization, is a central strategy to the notion of reengineering government which has been widely discussed and written about since the 1970s. However, while recession-choked cities and counties are now looking closer at outsourcing, historically the model has been slow to gain traction. Governments have long outsourced select non-core services to achieve […]
Step 1: Don’t apply for the job. Step 2: Repeat, as needed. Sometimes your job search can feel like a numbers game – the more applications you send in, the better the odds that you’ll land that dream position, right? Well, what may have worked when you were in high school, looking for a summer […]
Decreasing revenue streams and budget shortfalls have led to hiring freezes, unpaid furloughs, and in many cases, layoffs of state and local government employees across the country. And while the private sector is feeling its own brand of pain, the recession has placed public sector employment in a precarious position. However, the news isn’t all […]
Any individual who advocates for mandatory local government term limits for local government offices has either never worked in local government or Is a fool. Term limits for County Board, City Council, Mayor, Township, Borough, Parish or School Board public offices would be a disaster. In my opinion they would create three things: Inconsistent local […]
At least one interpretation of former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil’s declaration that “All politics is local” suggests that while people may support or reject an issue on a national basis, they tend to actually vote in ways that impact them locally. If you subscribe to this notion and are concerned about local government […]
Much has been said since 2008 – and still is, today – about the devastating impact upon governmental budgets brought on by the foreclosure and property tax calamities. In fact, I don’t believe enough can be said about it. Having once served as Public Information Director for Dearborn, Michigan, a city hammered by the foreclosure/ property tax […]
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