Practically everyone adapted rapidly in March and April. In calls to municipal and county managers I asked, “How is the morale of your staff?” The answers reveal that public employees have made hundreds of adjustments, major and minor. It is becoming clear that aspects of the past 5 months reveal Read more…
I had a rare, fleeting day of compassion for the President’s humanity recently while reading a Washington Post story, “Trump the victim: President complains in private about the pandemic hurting himself.” In the time of COVID, I suppose I can identify with being a victim of circumstance. The pandemic is Read more…
A Summit Daily story from June 18th entitled, ‘Backbone of our Workforce’ addresses how COVID has disproportionally hit the Hispanic community. Many of our workforce woes, in construction, tourism and basic services are filled by this vital demographic. During this period of isolation with so few visitors, it has become Read more…
Four Chiefs of Police, the Sheriff and Colorado State Patrol Captain in Eagle County published a letter in the Vail Daily on June 3rd condemning the “murder” of George Floyd and noting the officer’s “criminal intent” while calling for the community to “work with us to continue the building of Read more…
Asked another way, when trust in government weakens, how can we increase the level of trust in each other? Albert Camus said in The Plague, “…what we learn in time of pestilence: that there are more things to admire in men than to despise.” For one, we can live admirably. Read more…
Management of the health crisis by counties, and the responses from municipalities, NPOs, businesses and citizens has been exemplary these past months. In fact, it has been extraordinary how orderly and peaceful COVID compliance has been up until this weekend of the George Floyd killing protests around the country. As Read more…
When generations look back on this pandemic, will they see how COVID drove structural changes and innovations of substance, or just brought us more underwhelming technical advancements? Brian Elms’ article in Governing.com from April 29th, 2020 “Government’s Innovation Surge Shouldn’t End with the Pandemic” notes that “service improvements that used Read more…
What is an oath? What does it pledge? Whose idea were oaths anyhow? So why in our system of many-layered governance with counter-balanced branches and dispersed powers do local officials swear an oath to the Constitution? The very idea of an oath was a topic of much disagreement during the Read more…
COVID-19 is exposing the obvious and the despicable. First, the obvious. Let all Americans vote by mail. Congress needs act soon to secure this election’s integrity and do it the Colorado way, otherwise millions of voters will likely be disenfranchised. Today, Wisconsin is showing how NOT to do it. Voters Read more…
The March 25th headline in the Vail Daily was one any Mayor would dread, “Avon Council gets hacked, forced to reschedule meeting: Mayor ‘Deepest apologies for any disturbing content you may have witnessed.” Avon learned about video conferencing the hard way. They will not be the last local government to Read more…