Article Three ways cities can support a modern workforce 13th September 2021 The U.S. workforce is changing. In 2020, millions of American workers were thrust into an unprecedented working environment that resulted in working from home and new, forcibly accrued skills. One and a half years later, the experiment isn’t ending. For most of the country, the test run is looking more like the long run. As […]
Article 5 ways counties can mitigate remote access security risks 13th September 2021 Cyberattacks against the nation’s counties are on the rise. Since 2017, attacks rose an average of almost 50 percent—although this metric is likely to be a fraction of the true number, as these attacks often go unreported. With last year’s shift to more work from home and virtual learning, counties are finding themselves more exposed. […]
News Remembering 9/11: The impact, then and now 10th September 2021 Sometimes, an event marks history with such ferocity that innumerable mundane occurrences taking place simultaneously are indelibly stamped in the memory of every person living at the time—each unique to the individual. These instances define a generation and change a nation’s trajectory in the broader scheme of human civilization: Pearl Harbor; the moon landing; the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Two decades on from that infamous day, when four commercial flights were hijacked by terrorists and nearly 3,000 people perished in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Penn., Americans are still haunted by the images of dust-covered victims stumbling from the wreckage—they’re still […]
Article Reporting requirements for the American Rescue Plan Act money—what cities and counties should consider 9th September 2021 Funding provided through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides communities with an unprecedented opportunity to impact the lives of their citizens through prudent spending in the following four categories: To respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency and/or its negative economic impact. To respond to essential workers during the COVID-19 public health emergency by […]
Article Creating the modern community through sustainability 8th September 2021 Municipal leaders are always looking for new opportunities to deliver highly innovative, connected and resilient infrastructure to residents and visitors. But they are also tasked with balancing this future-forward vision with an ongoing need to retain capital, especially after almost two years of crisis. By investing in sustainability and decarbonization, local governments can save valuable […]
Article How 21st century data science is helping local governments plan for tourism and services 7th September 2021 People currently seem excited to travel. How can cities better plan for tourism in their peak travel seasons or know if they need to increase traffic control, trash collection and policing, and/or give local businesses a heads up to increase staffing? Alternatively, should they be increasing marketing and incentives to lure more people to their […]
Commentary Hurricane Ida’s record-setting rainfall reveals challenges in retrofitting New York’s aging subway system 3rd September 2021 On Wednesday, flash flood advisories were hoisted throughout the East Coast. Meteorologists warned of extreme rainfall and the potential for flooding as the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in New Orleans on Sunday, swept across the already water-saturated region. Even so, Thursday’s catastrophic flooding of the New York City metropolitan area seemed to take many by surprise. It shouldn’t have. For decades now, climate scientists have warned of increasingly severe floods (particularly on the East Coast) as the planet warms. In a 2007 analysis of the New York subway system’s resiliency by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, for example, it’s noted that […]
Commentary How to ensure interoperability in public safety 31st August 2021 Interoperability—the capacity of distinct and unique systems to communicate with one another effectively—has always been a challenge in public safety. Fire, police, 911, EMS, schools and private organizations often face challenges to share data and communicate effectively across organizational boundaries. In many cases, important information fails to reach all stakeholders involved in emergency response, increasing […]
Commentary A low-cost approach to managing building inspections and risk mitigation challenges facing local and county governments 30th August 2021 Following the collapse of the Champlain Towers in Surfside, Fla., local governments across the country began to ask themselves, “Could this happen here?” Stepping up inspections, reevaluating regulations and determining which buildings to inspect became a priority for local leaders. However, the scale of the problem (the large number of buildings in various jurisdictions) often […]
Commentary Codes of conduct and ethics in the public sector 24th August 2021 In a two-part set of articles, we look at an issue confronting agencies at their highest levels—the elected body engaged in increasingly bad behavior and what can be done to guide them back to decorum and civility. The first articleidentified some of the issues confronting agencies and provided suggestions for addressing the issues. This second […]
Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina 13th October 2020