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GOVERNING Magazine April 2016

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GOVERNING Magazine April 2016 THE STATEES AND LOCALITIES April 2016 We Interrupt Some states will nullify local Thisgovernment Program… actions any chance they get–while at the same time complaining about federal intrusion on their own policies. Some states will step in to cut off local government actions any chance they get. GOV04_cover1C.indd 1 3/22/16 11:03 AM When managing security in an all-IP network, it helps to see the big picture. AT&T security experts analyze more than 310 billion fl ow records each day for anomalies that indicate malicious activity. It’s what makes us uniquely qualifi ed to help state and local government agencies address the security challenges they face. Our proactive network-based approach to managed security delivers some of today’s most powerful weapons to combat cyber security attacks – helping to safeguard all the elements of your IP infrastructure. To learn more, download the CIO Security Guide at att.com/govsecurity © 2014 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other AT&T marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affi liated companies. __________Designer __________Creative Dir. 100 Blue Ravine Road Folsom, CA 95630 916-932-1300 __________Editorial __________Prepress 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 Page # __________Other ____________OK to go BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN VOL. 29, NO. 7 04.2016 A caampaign vooluuntn eeer makek s calls foor BaBaltltimmoro e mam yoyoral canddiddate Sheie la Dixxon. 24 WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM... 44 CHANGING LANES Some states will nullify local government actions any Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Stephanie chance they get—while at the same time complaining Pollack is a liberal in a conservative administration about federal intrusion on their own policies. and a passionate advocate in an administrative post. By Alan Greenblatt She’s making it work. By Daniel C. Vock 30 SHEILA DIXON’S SECOND ACT Baltimore’s ex-mayor wants voters to forgive her for 50 FOLLOW THE MONEY criminal transgressions. The odds are they will. States and cities want to support women- and By J.B. Wogan minority-owned businesses. But they often don’t know whom they’re really paying. 36 THE NEXT DRUG FIGHT By Mattie Quinn While states are focused on America’s opioid epidemic, they may be ignoring a dangerous emerging threat. By John Buntin PHOTO BY DAVID KIDD PHOTO BY DAVID KIDD BY DAVID COVER ILLUSTRATION April 2016 | GOVERNING 1 GOV04_01.indd 1 3/14/16 3:03 PM __________Designer __________Creative Dir. 100 Blue Ravine Road Folsom, CA 95630 916-932-1300 __________Editorial __________Prepress www.erepublic.com CMY grey T1 T2 T3 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 Page # __________Other ____________OK to go BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN DEPARTMENTS 4 Publisher’s Desk 16 6 Letters OBSERVER 9 Locked Up? Corrections reform is a biparti- san issue—for now. 10 Chicago’s Bad Finances Unless you’re closely watching, APIMAGES.COM they’re worse off than you think. 12 Airborne PROBLEM SOLVER Washington, D.C., considers 56 Behind the Numbers installing aerial gondolas. Are there too many school districts? POLITICS + POLICY 58 Smart Management Lawmakers want public universities to 14 Assessments accept performance-based funding. As states act more independently, 59 Better Government Washington has itself to blame. As more aging Americans slip into 16 Potomac Chronicle poverty, governments need to be ready. FLICKR/US CAPITOL Student debt is a big campaign 60 Tech Talk issue that’s hard to solve. 14 States have to develop new recruitment 17 Politics Watch strategies to attract next-gen IT workers. Despite party, some governors 62 Public Money have crossover appeal. Utah, just like a bank, is using stress tests 18 Health to measure its needs for capital reserves. Offi cials step up the fi ght against 64 Last Look opioids. New York City is replacing old-school pay 20 Green Government phones with sleek new Wi-Fi kiosks. Oregon is scrapping coal, and it could have far-reaching eff ects. 62 22 Economic Engines Public transportation has become hip in popular culture. 23 Urban Notebook Easy access to the suburbs is fueling the urban housing boom. 2 GOVERNING | April 2016 ADOBE.STOCK.COM GOV04_02.indd 2 3/14/16 3:04 PM __________Designer __________Creative Dir. 100 Blue Ravine Road Folsom, CA 95630 916-932-1300 __________Editorial __________Prepress www.erepublic.com CMY grey T1 T2 T3 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 Page # __________Other ____________OK to go BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN BUILD YOUR FLEET WITH MILITARY-GRADE, ALUMINUM ALLOY. The 2016 Ford F-150 – the only pickup made with high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloy – a model of strength and innovation. As a business owner, you need not only top-notch vehicles, but also customer service you can count on. Build your fl eet with confi dence. Choose Ford Fleet. Ask about Ford Fleet Care – consolidated billing for parts and service with no enrollment or administration fees. See your dealer or call 800-367-3221. FLEET.FORD.COM Try to avoid water higher than the bottom of the hubs and proceed slowly. Refer to your owner’s manual for detailed information regarding driving through water. __________Designer __________Creative Dir. 100 Blue Ravine Road Folsom, CA 95630 916-932-1300 __________Editorial __________Prepress www.erepublic.com CMY grey T1 T2 T3 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 Page # __________Other ____________OK to go BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN PUBLISHER’S DESK Publisher Mark Funkhouser Executive Editor Zach Patton Managing Editor Elizabeth Daigneau Senior Editors Alan Ehrenhalt, John Martin The Customer’s View Chief Copy Editor Miriam Jones Copy Editor Lauren Harrison he people who manage our public transportation sys- Staff Writers Liz Farmer, Alan Greenblatt, Mattie Quinn, tems, says Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Daniel C. Vock, J.B. Wogan Stephanie Pollack in Daniel C. Vock’s profi le of her Correspondent John Buntin Contributing Editor Penelope Lemov in this issue, tend to see the data they gather in terms T Columnists Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene, Scott Beyer, of operations and effi ciency. But, says Pollack, “I’m much more William Fulton, Mark Funkhouser, Peter A. Harkness, interested, and the governor’s much more interested, in data from Donald F. Kettl, Justin Marlowe, Alex Marshall, Tod Newcombe, the perspective of the customers who are using the system.” Aaron M. Renn, Frank Shafroth Using data to deliver services effi ciently and eff ectively is vital, of course, but there’s much wisdom in Pollack’s focus on the peo- Senior Editor, Governing.com Caroline Cournoyer ple who rely on those services. We hear a lot of talk in government Data Editor, Governing.com Mike Maciag circles these days about managing programs from the point of Chief Content Offi cer Paul W. Taylor view of the customer experience, but that is hard to do—so hard that it rarely happens. Chief Design Offi cer Kelly Martinelli I think one of the main reasons that’s true is because there’s Design Director & Photo Editor David Kidd a huge but too-often unrecog- Graphic Designer Kimi Rinchak nized gulf between the life expe- Production Director Stephan Widmaier rience of the people in charge Chief Marketing Offi cer Margaret Mohr and those who depend the most Senior Director of Marketing Meg Varley-Keller on public services. The people in Founder & Publisher Emeritus Peter A. Harkness charge are not only those who run our governments but also those Advertising 202-862-8802 in advocacy organizations and in Associate Publishers Jennifer DeSilva, Jon Yoffi e the media who infl uence public Account Executive Joelle Tell policy. They are almost invari- Director of Business Development Noel Hollis ably better educated and make a Sales Administrator Bethany Thompson lot more money than the rest of Offi ce Manager Alina Grant the population. Marketing/Classifi ed [email protected] Mark Funkhouser, Publisher Only about 30 percent of the e.Republic Inc. population holds a bachelor’s CEO Dennis McKenna degree or higher, but virtually all public offi cials and their infl u- President Cathilea Robinett encers do. Men with a B.A. or higher have a median income of Executive VP Alan Cox about $72,000; for similarly educated women, the fi gure is about CFO Paul Harney CAO Lisa Bernard $55,000. But for the population that holds only a high school diploma, the medians are about $39,000 for men and about Reprint Information $30,000 for women. Reprints of all articles in this issue and past issues are available There is a world of diff erence in the daily experiences of these (500 minimum). Please direct inquiries for reprints and licensing to two groups. Who has encounters with the police? Who rides the Wright’s Media: 877-652-5295, [email protected] bus? For the most part, it is those with less education and less Subscription/Circulation Service money. But who designs and runs public services? Well educated, Eenie Yang [email protected] more affl uent professionals. This is most apparent in the area of www.governing.com/subscribe school reform, but it exists throughout government. Governing (ISSN 0894-3842) is published monthly by e.Republic Inc., with offi ces I don’t think this was always so. It used to be more likely that at 1100 Connecticut Ave.
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