NEWS: Dec. 20, 2010

The Military | The Nation
'Don't Ask': No Changes for Now
What happens now that Congress has voted to repeal "don't ask, don't tell"? For the time being, nothing. For the next few months and possibly for as long as a year, gays and lesbians in uniform still will be subject to investigation and discharge if they acknowledge their sexual orientation, Pentagon officials said.
>> Politics Daily
Commanders Get Guidance for Post-'Don't Tell' World
The problems military commanders might face in implementing the repeal of the 'don't ask, don't tell' rule are outlined, along with possible solutions, in a detailed Defense Department plan.
>> New York Times
Court Voids California Cities' Bans on Military Recruiters
Ordinances approved in 2008 by voters in Arcata and Eureka, Calif., to prohibit military recruiters from contacting minors are unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled.
>> San Francisco Chronicle

Rick Scott

Public Officials | Florida
Governor-Elect Asks Most Officials
to Take Back Their Resignations
Amid indications that his transition team has bogged down, Gov.-elect Rick Scott asked most of Gov. Charlie Crist's agency heads and mid-level staffers to rescind their resignations and stay for up to three months. Scott's transition team had asked for hundreds of resignations.
>> Miami Herald
D.C. Mayor-Elect Keeping Key Agency Heads
Washington, D.C., Mayor-elect Vincent C. Gray moved to keep key members of current Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's administration in place, retaining agency heads in charge of city planning, garbage pickup and snow removal, motor vehicles, and other high-profile services.
>> Washington Post

Christopher Cerf

Education | New Jersey
NYC Reformer to Head N.J. Schools
In a move that signals his intent to upend the state's educational establishment, Gov. Chris Christie has selected Christopher Cerf to be New Jersey's education commissioner. Cerf, a nationally known school administrator, drove some of New York City's most controversial education policies.
>> New York Times
Atlanta Officials Tried to Suppress Cheating Allegations
Atlanta public schools officials, including Superintendent Beverly Hall, carried out a broad campaign over two years to suppress mounting allegations of widespread cheating on standardized tests.
>> Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Governmental Operations | The Nation
Deal Would Fund Federal Government into March
The Senate moved ahead Sunday night on a deal to fund the federal government through March 4, setting the stage for a budget fight early next year. The most recent short-term funding measure expires Tuesday, and a failure by Congress to approve new funding by then could lead to a government shutdown.
>> Wall Street Journal
Performance Act Update Fails in House
After sailing through the Senate, a bill to update the 1993 Government Performance and Results Act failed in the House. The measure would require agencies to designate chief operating officers and performance improvement officers and to post program-performance scorecards.
>> Federal Times

Finance | Bell, Calif.
Scandal-Wracked City Faces Drastic Cuts
With eight current and former city officials charged in a sweeping public-corruption case, Bell is hovering on the brink of insolvency and drastic cuts in city services--including disbanding the police department--probably will be necessary to fix its finances, according to a review of the city's books by Los Angeles County officials.
>> Los Angeles Times
ICMA Censures, Expels Former Bell City Manager
The International City/County Management Association censured and expelled former Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo after the association's executive board found him guilty of violating ICMA's code of ethics.
>> American City & County

Sheriff Green

Spending | Philadelphia
Sheriff's Spending to Get Forensic Audit
With auditors unable to account for millions of dollars in transactions at the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office over the last decade, City Controller Alan Butkovitz is looking for "certified fraud examiners" to conduct a forensic audit of Sheriff John Green's books. Green, who was scheduled to retire Oct. 31, has decided to stay on to ensure cooperation with the audit.
>> Philadelphia Inquirer

Technology | The Nation
New Software Targets V.A. Claims Backlog
Using the kind of rules-based software deleveloped for processing Agent Orange claims by Vietnam veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to completely eliminate its disability claims backlog by 2015, V.A. Chief of Staff John Gingrich says.
>> Nextgov
Contractor Pushing No-Stop Smog Testing for Nashville
There is competition in Nashville for the city's automobile emissions testing business, with one contractor pitching technology that would test emissions while cars are in traffic and keep drivers from making their annual trip to a testing station.
>> Nashville Tennessean
Pentagon Re-Launching Disaster-Relief Tool
The Defense Department soon will launch a new version of the All Partners Access Network, a website that helped it coordinate with the international disaster community on the ground after a devastating earthquake struck Haiti earlier this year.
>> Nextgov

Public Workforce | The Midwest
Governors, Successors Clash over Public Pay
Lame-duck Democratic governors and their Republican successors in several Midwestern states are clashing over public workers' pay and benefits. Departing Democratic leaders have tried to get new two-year contracts for state-employee unions approved before they leave office. The incoming Republicans say the deals are too generous.
>> Wall Street Journal
Postal Service, Union Freeze 'Excessing'
The American Postal Workers Union and the U.S. Postal Service announced a freeze on "excessing"--reassigning postal employees to other facilities or shifting them into other crafts--while the parties continue to negotiate a new four-year labor pact.
>> Federal Daily
Pay Frozen for Energy Dept. Contract Employees
Energy Secretary Steven Chu froze salaries and bonuses for about 75,000 site and facility management contractor employees who manage day-to-day operations at 28 Energy Department facilities.
>> Federal Times
Los Angeles Mandates Local Hiring for Big Projects
With strong backing from labor unions, the Los Angeles city council approved what supporters called a landmark requirement to bolster the hiring of city residents on large-scale public-works projects.
>> Los Angeles Times

Transportation | The Houston Region
Transit Agency Cancels Rail Car Contracts
The Metropolitan Transit Authority has canceled contracts for the purchase of rail cars from a subsidiary of a Spanish firm that had put in jeopardy $900 million in federal grant money the agency is counting on to revive its stalled rail-expansion plans.
>> Houston Chronicle

>> More news, analysis, resources and events: GovManagement.com
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SPONSOR

QUOTABLE
“Give me a chance. Don't judge someone that you haven't even met.”
Publishing executive Cathleen P. Black, who on Jan. 1 will become chancellor of the New York City schools, asking the city to get to know her before deeming her unqualified because she lacks experience in education and emphasizing that her primary qualification for her new job is as a "proven manager"
>> New York Times

DATAPOINT
$13.1 billion
Forecasted federal spending on information-security technology by 2015, representing a 9.1 percent compound annual growth rate--nearly twice the growth rate of overall federal IT spending
>> INPUT

ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY
Leadership | Robert D. Behn
The E-Mail Enemy
The next e-mail that hits your BlackBerry could help you ratchet up your organization's performance. But more likely, that blizzard of e-mails is an enemy of the focus needed to produce real results. You and your organization cannot simultaneously achieve a thousand different performance targets. Maybe ten. But only maybe.
>> Harvard Kennedy School

UPCOMING
Center for American Progress
Discussion on Moving Our Health Care System Forward
Today, 1-2:30 p.m. ET | Washington, D.C.

Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education
Online Program on Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards
Jan. 3-Feb. 25

INPUT
Government Services & Technology Summit
Jan. 6, 8:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m. ET | Washington, D.C.

International City/County Management Association
Web conference on Community Resilience: Strategies to Weather the Bad Times, Thrive in the Good Times
Jan. 13, 1 p.m. ET

U.S. Conference of Mayors
Winter Meeting
Jan. 19-21 | Washington, D.C.

National Association of State Energy Officials
Energy Policy and Technology Outlook Conference
Jan. 28-Feb. 3 | Washington, D.C.

Governing magazine
Outlook in the States & Localities Conference
Feb. 1-2 | Washington, D.C.

American Society for Training and Development
TechKnowledge Conference
Feb. 2-4 | San Jose, Calif.

Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education
Program on Strategic Management of Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies
Feb. 2-25 | Cambridge, Mass.

Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education
Program on Leadership for the 21st Century: Chaos, Conflict and Courage
Feb. 6-11 | Cambridge, Mass.

National Association of Secretaries of State
Winter Conference
Feb. 11-14 | Washington, D.C.

GovLoop
Conference on Human Capital Management For Defense
Feb. 14-17 | Alexandria, Va.

GovLoop
Conference on Social Media for Government
Feb. 14-17 | Washington, D.C.

INPUT
Cloud/Gov Conference
Feb. 17, 8 a.m.-4:45 p.m. ET | Washington, D.C.

Association of Government Accountants
National Leadership Conference
Feb. 17-18 | Washington, D.C.

Conference of Minority Public Administrators
Annual Conference
Feb. 19-24 | Fort Worth, Texas

>> Full events listings