Perceptions and Passages of a Lifelong Participant by Stephen G. Harding
"Now the trumpet summons us again--not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need--not as a call to battle, though embattled we are-- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"--a struggle against the common enemies of man:... Continue Reading →
Make sunrises and sunsets a priority, be still, take time to hear the music, read, attend live performances, experience museums, travel, hike the outdoors, enjoy the ocean in late afternoon, listen, especially to your children, speak with strangers, hug your pet, be curious, smile, keep a sense of humor. Laugh, make others laugh, be the... Continue Reading →
I'm talking observations and perceptions, a lifetime of them. Some are mine. Some maybe yours. Some are common. Some unique. Some are codified. Some in print. Some are just thoughts, random and otherwise. Some are the residue of direct experience. Some are contemplative while others are products of sheer emotion. Some are new, some are... Continue Reading →
“You’ll never convince me this is the only route to the city manager’s chair. I’d strongly encourage other degrees and alternative work experiences. It’s a dynamic and changing world - the profession must change with it.”Troy Body—City Administrator Why indeed? My answer is simple. True, it is not the only route to the city manager’s... Continue Reading →
Civics, Culture, and Public Service "in the early 1990’s the image of the faceless governmental bureaucrat, top-down, regulatory minded, 'Administrative Man' was hypothetically replaced. Enter the champion of the New Public Management, the market driven “Economic Man. He is Reinventing Government---" "An expanded educational approach to civics and cultural literacy may serve to combat this... Continue Reading →
Way back at the 2025 annual conference, there was an informal get together of the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED) Dead Presidents Club (Plus three). Of course, we are no longer presidents but chairs. For 45 years, and now with a membership of over 1,000, CALED remains the primary association for local economic... Continue Reading →
By Stephen G. Harding "It’s no surprise that the governed are not happy with their government. Yet it would be naïve for state and local officials to think this attitude ends at the federal level. Governmental agencies are pressed to meet the conflicting expectations of elected officials and competing interests of a socio-economic diverse society.... Continue Reading →
By Dr. Bob Moorehead (Via Geoge Carlin) Some of you may remember when George Carlin circulated a poem. Originally, I thought he had penned it himself. Thanks to my good friend Ursula, I was reminded that the little ditty in question was actually written by Dr. Bob Moorehead, a former pastor of Seattle's Overlake Christian... Continue Reading →
What Still Applies? It's been thirteen years since I delivered this presentation at the annual conference of American Society for Public Administration in Washington, D.C. For a few years there after, I made the same presentation to graduate students of public policy and administration at Northwestern University, the University of La Verne, and the University... Continue Reading →
Viktor Orban Revisited Looking back to my Fall 2023 course offering at the UC Riverside Osher Lifelong Learning Institute-- "Let's Talk about Dictators of the 21st Century." As was discussed in class some 2 1/2 years ago, what happens to Orban and Hungary is a good indicator as to the struggle between democracy and autocracy.... Continue Reading →
Bureaucracy and the Challenge to Participatory Local Governance "The public needs to be a part of public administration. Beyond meeting statutory requirements or political expectations, sincere public engagement needs to be a part of the development of policies and programs that result in effective public service delivery systems. Historically, a number of bureaucracies have distanced... Continue Reading →
A Short Weekly Newsletter for Linkedin Members From the classroom to city hall, a weekly short focused on local governance! The notion, "It's a Group Project," came from a Q & A session between noted New York Times journalist Jamelle Bouie and Mysha Cherry, Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Riverside. The forum... Continue Reading →
"It’s no surprise that the governed are not happy with their government. Yet it would be naive for state and local officials to think this attitude ends at the federal level. Governmental agencies are pressed to meet the conflicting expectations of elected officials and competing interests of a socio-economic diverse society. Bureaucracy’s overly narrow focus... Continue Reading →