| National experts will give report card on best government practices across the country January 27
Government breakdowns after natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, and
the current scandals involving elected officials on Capitol Hill give the public
little confidence in our national leaders. Winning back the support of Americans
requires a sustained commitment to effective and efficient government performance.
The Humphrey Institute will host a conference, "Serving
Citizens Better: Promoting Excellence in Public Management," from 8
a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, that will bring together local and national
experts, representatives from the Governor's office, and state legislators.
Following opening remarks from Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak, they will discuss
the best governing practices from around the country and the steps we can take
in Minnesota to improve government effectiveness.
The Government Performance Project (GPP), a national non-partisan program that
evaluates the management of states, recently performed a national survey of
public management systems and created a report card of best practices. Three
panels of local and national policy makers will discuss how to use these results
to improve government. For example, what are the best ways to tie budget decisions
to performance? Can the internet be used to speed government responsiveness
to citizens while saving money? With a large portion of state government employees
about to retire, are there incentives and flexible workplace policies to help
retain the best of these valued workers?
Each panel will address a different challenge or obstacle to effective management.
Sen. Sheila Kiscaden (I-Rochester) will moderate the first panel on "Managing
for the Future: E-government and Information Management." The second panel
on human resource and performance management will be moderated by Rep. Kathy
Tingelstad (R-Andover). The final panel will look at future directions for improving
Minnesota governance. Nate Garvis, vice president of government affairs for
Target Corp., will moderate the discussion, which will include Dan McElroy,
representative from the Governor's office, Humphrey Institute fellow Jay Kiedrowski,
and Sean Kershaw, president of the Citizens League.
The conference has been organized by the Humphrey Institute's Center
for the Study of Politics and Governance (CSPG) and is co-sponsored by the
Citizens League and the Humphrey
Institute's Public
and Nonprofit Leadership Center.
The event is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. Please
visit CSPG online or via
e-mail for more information and to register.
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