Can Web 2.0 Reinvent Government?

In a lengthy CIO Insight interview, innovation expert Anthony Williams says “the Web offers the public sector tremendous opportunities to transform service delivery, make smarter policies, flatten silos and reinvigorate government.”  Williams predicts a shift “from monolithic government agencies to pluralistic, networked governance Webs that fuse the knowledge, skills and resources of the masses.” The articles mentions Utah Rep. Steve Urquhart’s Politicopia project.

Washington Watch

Lands Bill is Landmark Legislation
Debate begins on the Washington County Growth & Conservation Act of 2008 (S.2834) as Sen. Bob Bennett tells his Senate colleagues that the bill "is critical to address public land preservation and rapid population growth in Washington County." Says Bennett: "This legislation is the most important natural resources bill I have introduced in my Senate career, and I am very proud of it. Because of the amount of public land in Washington County, local and federal efforts have to go hand in hand if it’s going to work and that has been the case here" (see press release).  Sen. Orrin Hatch has added his support to the legislation (see press release).

Meanwhile, three environmental groups, including the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the Sierra Club, and the Wasatch Mountain Club, say they "cannot support S. 2834 as currently drafted, though we look forward to working with Senator Bennett and the Congress to improve this bill and protect the wild Zion-Mojave region" (see press release). However, other environmental groups, including The Nature Conservancy and The Wilderness Society, support Bennett’s bill, revealing a split among conservation organizations.

The legislation establishes hundreds of thousands of acres of wilderness in Washington County, while allowing the sale of about 9,000 acres of public land to private developers to provide more land for population expansion in the rapidly-growing county. Most of the proceeds from sale of the land would go into other conservation projects.

More Hybrid & Electric Cars

Sen. Orrin Hatch points to Earth Day briefings Tuesday by the Electric Drive Transportation "as evidence that his CLEAR ACT legislation is having a major impact on transportation fuels." The legislation uses tax incentives for promote greater use of alternative fuels. The number of hybrid electric and electric vehicles is growing rapidly (see press release).

Regional Politics

“As other cities look to replace their blighted downtowns with new development, Las Vegas, known for its extravagant facsimiles of European and American landmarks, has come up with an unusual approach: Build another downtown, right next to the decaying one.” (New York Times)

South Jordan is Innovation Leader

Earlier this year South Jordan City received national recognition as a leader in government innovation by the Alliance for Innovation, an internationally recognized nonprofit association of local governments. EDCUtah's latest newsletter says South Jordan City officials will make a case study presentation at the Alliance for Innovation's annual Transforming Local Governments (TLG) Conference in Greenville, South Carolina this June. The TLG conference represents the epitome of innovation in the public sector and will bring together nearly 1,000 local government professionals from every facet of public service.

Aussie at Utah Trade Conference

John Winston Howard, former Prime Minister of Australia, will be the keynote speaker at Zions Bank's 7th annual International Trade and Business Conference on May 20. The half-day conference brings together some of the top minds in international business and provides a great networking opportunity for those who are just starting to think globally. Read more about the conference in this week's issue of the Zions Business Resource Center newsletter Taking Care of Business.

Today in Political History

April 23, 1791:  James Buchanan, the 15th U.S. president, is born in Franklin County, Pa.  He serves one term, 1857-1861, and dies June 1, 1868 in Lancaster, Pa.  (Source:  NBC5) 

April 23, 1969:  Sirhan Sirhan is sentenced to death for assassinating New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. The sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment. (New York Times)

Wise Words

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” 

-- Dr. Seuss  (Source:  Quote Garden) 

Campaign Tip

Take Advantage of Online Fundraising

The presidential candidates are collecting massive amounts of money via on-line fundraising. Every campaign, no matter how large or small, should develop and manage e-mail lists carefully. E-mail is a great source of inexpensive fundraising. Direct mail typically cost 40-60 cents a letter. Higher volumes of mail decrease the per-unit cost. E-mail lists require a small investment of time and money to develop, but the cost to send e-mail in almost nonexistent, and the return is far greater. According to the Political Consultant’s Online Fundraising Primer, “On-line contributions on average are about three times as large as the average direct mail contributions. The typical direct mail contribution is about $35”versus the “average e-mail donation, which is over $100.”

As the population of Internet users continues to swell, it’s imperative that you have an on-line presence with the ability to accept campaign donations and manage events. Internet users tend to be more interested in news and politics than Americans in general. They enjoy taking a much deeper dive into a candidate’s policies, beliefs and plans; the type of depth than can be provided on your web site, and they enjoy doing it in the privacy of their own home or office. This group of involved citizens uses the Internet to donate money, donate time, forward e-mail and contribute to on-line discussion groups and Web logs. Be sure to get them involved and contributing online to your campaign. (Source:  Political Resources) 

National Politics

Best Stories From . . .

-- New York Times: "Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton scored a decisive victory over Senator Barack Obama on Tuesday in the Pennsylvania primary, giving her candidacy a critical boost as she struggles to raise money and persuade party leaders to let the Democratic nominating fight go on."

-- Politico: Clinton "won Pennsylvania with the same base of white women, working-class voters and white men that revived her candidacy in Ohio last month."

-- ABC News: "The tough tone of the Pennsylvania Democratic campaign tarnished both candidates -- more so Hillary Clinton, with 68 percent of voters saying she attacked Barack Obama unfairly. Yet it appears to have worked: Late deciders favored Clinton by a wide margin, boosting her to an essential victory in the state."

-- The Hill: "Despite [Clinton's] victory, the big board remains largely unchanged ... When the dust settles ... Obama will no doubt continue to hold a delegate lead, a popular vote lead and an overwhelming money lead."

 Blog Watch

-- At Out of Context, Robert Gehrke notes: "Typically, you conduct a focus group to get the views of the common man and woman. So it's at least a little odd that when former Bush spin doctor Frank Luntz put together a focus group for America's Greatest Patriot Sean Hannity and Fox News to discuss the Democratic presidential campaign, there was a  familiar face in the front row: Abby Huntsman, the daughter of Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. To check it out, click on the 'Keystone Youth' link and skip to about 2:55 remaining here. Even more perplexing is the tagline that Fox put on this one: 'Keystone Youth: Frank Luntz teams up with Penn. Gov. Ed Rendell to probe young Democrats on what's important to them.' But Abby Huntsman is far from a young Democrat. In fact, she is the chairwoman of the University of Pennsylvania College Republicans and in no way is an unaffiliated voter. ... [Luntz's] Fox 'focus groups' have been questioned before for being stacked to lean to the right and loaded with Republicans. But surely Fox wouldn't do that."

Lighter Side

“One way to reduce illegal immigration might be to translate some of our far left publications into Spanish and give everyone in Mexico subscriptions. After they read how terrible this country is, many may want to stay away.”

—Thomas Sowell (Patriot Post)