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Articles 1 - 25 of 25
Full-Text Articles in Public Administration
Impacts Of Pay-As-You-Throw And Other Residential Solid Waste Policy Options: Southern Maine 2007–2013, Travis Blackmer, George Criner
Impacts Of Pay-As-You-Throw And Other Residential Solid Waste Policy Options: Southern Maine 2007–2013, Travis Blackmer, George Criner
Maine Policy Review
Municipal solid waste management in the U.S. began a transformation in the 1980s as a result of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulation requiring the closure of municipal “dumps.” This legislation, coupled with increasing total and per capita waste, resulted in waste management receiving national attention. Maine and other states began broad efforts to reduce and wisely manage their municipal solid wastes. Many states established solid waste goals, with Maine targeting a waste diversion rate of 50 percent. Four common residential waste management programs in Maine include curbside trash collection, curbside recyclable collection, single-stream recycling, and pay-as-you-throw programs. This article …
The Impact Of Post-Recession State Revenue Reductions On Maine's Municipalities, Emily Shaw
The Impact Of Post-Recession State Revenue Reductions On Maine's Municipalities, Emily Shaw
Maine Policy Review
Maine municipalities have received substantially less revenue from the state over the past several years, due to a combination of financial pressures on state budgets and state administrative policy preferences. The result is that municipalities have been forced to restructure the provision and funding of local services through a combination of reducing spending in some categories, raising additional money from residents and other users of town services, or taking on additional municipal debt. However, on average, Maine’s municipalities have so far been unable to reduce their total spending. This discussion of municipal responses to reduced state revenue is based on …
Reinventing Maine Government: How Mainers Can Shape A Sustainable Government And A New Prosperity, Alan Caron, David Osborne
Reinventing Maine Government: How Mainers Can Shape A Sustainable Government And A New Prosperity, Alan Caron, David Osborne
Maine Policy Review
In this commentary the authors highlight the challenges Maine faces. They suggest areas where the state could spend less, based on national comparative figures. They discuss what they call the “three ticking time bombs” in the state: the aging workforce, unfunded pension liabilities, and escalating costs of healthcare, and review what they consider to be inefficient structures in government at all levels. They argue that new thinking and new approaches are needed, and make a number of recommendations for “reinventing government” in Maine.
Planners And Climate Change Action: An Approach For Communities, Samuel B. Merrill, Robert M. Sanford, Mark B. Lapping
Planners And Climate Change Action: An Approach For Communities, Samuel B. Merrill, Robert M. Sanford, Mark B. Lapping
Maine Policy Review
The authors discuss the role of planners in helping local communities prepare for the near-term effects of climate change, especially the impact of rising sea levels and increased storm severity.
Revitalizing Maine’S Service Centers, John Melrose
Revitalizing Maine’S Service Centers, John Melrose
Maine Policy Review
Maine’s 77 “service center” municipalities account for a large proportion of all the state’s consumer retail sales, jobs, services, and tax revenues from income, sales and property taxes, and are home to most of the state’s higher education and health care institutions. However, John Melrose points out that Maine’s public policy turns “worse than a blind eye” to these communities. He presents the policy recommendations put forth in a strategic plan by the Maine Service Centers Coalition for supporting and strengthening service centers. These include leveling the financial playing field between service centers and other communities; improving local government administration …
Opportunity And Equity: Fixing Maine’S School Funding Formula, Yellow Light Breen
Opportunity And Equity: Fixing Maine’S School Funding Formula, Yellow Light Breen
Maine Policy Review
In its last session, the legislature adopted much needed reforms to Maine’s education funding formula. Among other things, these reforms help to establish a link between education funding and student performance, to recognize the true costs of education, and to better measure the communities’ relative ability to pay. Yellow Light Breen explains each of these elements to be phased in over the next several years. He also responds to Peter Mills’ argument (this issue) to eliminate income from the definition of ability to pay and on the need for broader changes in how local government is funded. He notes that …
Performance Government In Maine: The Effort To Make State Government More Efficient, Responsive, And Accountable, Bruce Clary, Barton Wechsler
Performance Government In Maine: The Effort To Make State Government More Efficient, Responsive, And Accountable, Bruce Clary, Barton Wechsler
Maine Policy Review
Maine, like the federal government and many other states, has embarked upon a major initiative to change how government conducts its business. At the federal level this initiative has been called the National Performance Review. Spearheaded by Vice President Al Gore, its goal is nothing short of reinventing government so it performs better, costs less, and gets results. Today, many states have undertaken initiatives similar to the National Performance Review and the general term used to describe these activities is “performance government.” In Maine, a 1991 Special Commission on Governmental Restructuring marks the first time this concept was seriously talked …
Performance Government: A Roundtable Discussion
Performance Government: A Roundtable Discussion
Maine Policy Review
Many states have undertaken initiatives similar to the National Performance Review; the general term used to describe these activities is “performance government.” Although performance government may apply to a wide range of administrative changes, it most typically applies to three reform initiatives: strategic planning, performance budgeting and performance contracting. Maine has been reinventing its government systems to include each of these components. This roundtable discussion, co-facilitated and co-edited by Bruce Clary and Barton Wechsler, features eight individuals who have been helping to shape the reinvention of Maine state government: besides Clary and Wechsler, these include: Carolyn Ball, Charles Colgan, Merton …
Maine’S Dubious Odyssey Into The Funding Of Local Government, Peter Mills
Maine’S Dubious Odyssey Into The Funding Of Local Government, Peter Mills
Maine Policy Review
Despite recent reforms to Maine’s school funding, State Senator Peter Mills argues that the formula will not be truly “fixed” until the state addresses the municipal side of property tax inequities. To that end, he prescribes some tough medicine for Maine policymakers to relieve the disproportionate tax burden on the state’s service center communities. Among other things, he suggests we consider repealing some of the exemptions that exclude a quarter of all property from taxation; permitting service centers to adopt local option taxes; and injecting the state’s limited revenue sharing funds into just those municipalities with intolerable tax burdens that …
An Interview With Janet Waldron: Reforming Maine State Government, Janet Waldron
An Interview With Janet Waldron: Reforming Maine State Government, Janet Waldron
Maine Policy Review
This past year Janet Waldron was appointed Commissioner of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services for the State of Maine, planting her firmly in the center of a number of recent Maine state government reform initiatives. In this interview, Waldron discusses some of these current initiatives and in the process, offers a vision of a more streamlined, responsive, and accountable government.
Rethinking Government In Maine, Steve Ballard
Rethinking Government In Maine, Steve Ballard
Maine Policy Review
No abstract provided.
Solid Waste Management Options For Maine: The Economics Of Pay-By-The-Bag Systems, Stephanie Seguino, George Criner, Margarita Suarez
Solid Waste Management Options For Maine: The Economics Of Pay-By-The-Bag Systems, Stephanie Seguino, George Criner, Margarita Suarez
Maine Policy Review
State and federal environmental mandates during the last three decades have changed the nature of the debate over solid waste disposal, but not the basic question: What do we do about the garbage we produce? Unlike years past, however, disposal options are now fewer and more costly. This has resulted in a shift in focus away from solutions that simply try to deal with the output of the disposal process—the trash—to those that focus on inputs—reducing the volume of materials going into the waste stream. Among the volume reduction strategies are recycling, which focuses on specific input materials, and volume-based …
Expanding The Maine Economy, John Mckernan
Expanding The Maine Economy, John Mckernan
Maine Policy Review
Maine Governor John McKernan highlights his administration's efforts to expand the state’s economy, including its initiatives to reduce the cost of doing business in the state, to reform education, and to build consensus among various constituencies around goals and strategies for economic development. The article is based on McKernan’s remarks at the 21st annual Governor's Economic Development Conference held at the University of Maine last fall.
An Interview With Chip Morrison: Public Service As A Value, Chip Morrison
An Interview With Chip Morrison: Public Service As A Value, Chip Morrison
Maine Policy Review
Earlier this year, Charles "Chip" Morrison completed seven years of service in the administration of Maine Governor John McKernan, first as Commissioner of Administration and then as Commissioner of Labor. At a time when experience in government, whether in an appointive or elected capacity, is looked upon by many with a mixture of suspicion and disdain, Morrison preaches the sermon of government-as-service. In this interview, Morrison also talks about the values which have guided him in his public service career and touches upon a number of public policy issues with which he was involved as a department head.
The Myths Of 'Broken' Government: Moving Beyond The Conventional Wisdom, Anthony G. Cahill
The Myths Of 'Broken' Government: Moving Beyond The Conventional Wisdom, Anthony G. Cahill
Maine Policy Review
The budget difficulties faced by Maine and by most other states have prompted a national search for better ways to deliver government services. In Maine, a conference entitled "Rethinking Maine Government" was held at the University of Maine on January 5-6, 1993 under the auspices of the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy. Maine Policy Review selected three of the presentations at that conference for this issue. Anthony Cahill challenged the 400 legislators, state government officials and business leaders attending the conference to think in terms of a "revolution" in rethinking Maine's state government.
Challenges Facing Maine's Budget Process, Donald Nicoll
Challenges Facing Maine's Budget Process, Donald Nicoll
Maine Policy Review
The budget difficulties faced by Maine and by most other states have prompted a national search for better ways to deliver government services. In Maine, a conference entitled "Rethinking Maine Government" was held at the University of Maine on January 5-6, 1993 under the auspices of the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy. Maine Policy Review selected three of the presentations at that conference for this issue. Donald Nicoll was the co-chair, along with Merton Henry, of the Special Commission on Governmental Restructuring.
Competing Objectives In The Reorganization Of Maine State Government, Kenneth Palmer
Competing Objectives In The Reorganization Of Maine State Government, Kenneth Palmer
Maine Policy Review
The budget difficulties faced by Maine and by most other states have prompted a national search for better ways to deliver government services. In Maine, a conference entitled "Rethinking Maine Government" was held at the University of Maine on January 5-6, 1993 under the auspices of the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy. MPR has selected three of the presentations at that conference for this issue. Kenneth Palmer in this article provides a historical view on previous efforts to reorganize Maine government.
Privatization As A Valid Alternative, Sawin Millett
Privatization As A Valid Alternative, Sawin Millett
Maine Policy Review
At the "Rethinking State Government" conference held at the University of Maine in January 1993, a panel explored the issue of privatization, of using private enterprise to provide public sector services. Sawin Millet provides the perspective of someone who has worked primarily in the public sector.
Move With Caution Toward Privatization, Cushman Anthony
Move With Caution Toward Privatization, Cushman Anthony
Maine Policy Review
At the "Rethinking State Government" conference held at the University of Maine in January 1993, a panel explored the issue of privatization, of using private enterprise to provide public sector services. Lawyer Cushman Anthony urges moving with caution to ensure that privatization is really the optimal approach.
Real Costs And True Potential, John Hanson
Real Costs And True Potential, John Hanson
Maine Policy Review
At the "Rethinking State Government" conference held at the University of Maine in January 1993, a panel explored the issue of privatization, of using private enterprise to provide public sector services. John Hanson raises concerns about possible drawbacks and consequences in the rush to privative, including self-interest, efficiency, accountability and decreased employment.
Advocacy And The Public Advocate, Ralph E. Townsend
Advocacy And The Public Advocate, Ralph E. Townsend
Maine Policy Review
No abstract provided.
A Local View Of Facility Siting, Don Meagher
A Local View Of Facility Siting, Don Meagher
Maine Policy Review
The seeming paralysis in siting waste disposal facilities and other new facilities in Maine and other states underscores the difficulty of designing and implementing processes that will safeguard the environment and human health while sustaining economic development Don Meagher of the Eastern Maine Development Corporation describes the lessons learned from his involvement in an effort to site a demolition debris facility.
In Search Of A Strong Agenda: An Interview With Kenneth M. Curtis, Kenneth Curtis
In Search Of A Strong Agenda: An Interview With Kenneth M. Curtis, Kenneth Curtis
Maine Policy Review
In an interview this fall with Maine Policy Review, Kenneth Curtis, the former governor, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and former U.S. ambassador to Canada, shared his insights into the civic and political life of Maine and the nation. Not surprisingly, Curtis, currently president of Maine Maritime Academy, argues that many attitudes about the ineffectiveness and the unresponsiveness of government could be overcome by strong leadership from the executives of federal and state governments. He asserts that federal and state chief executives need to offer a vision of the future, put forth strong political agendas, and then …
Matching Municipal Challenges And Resources: Intergovernmental Options, Christopher Spruce
Matching Municipal Challenges And Resources: Intergovernmental Options, Christopher Spruce
Maine Policy Review
For most of the era since 1960, when environmental policy and resource policy have been central public issues, the focus of public debates on those policies was at the federal and state levels. Now, more and more of the decisions and policies that will determine the quality of life for citizens are being made at the local level. There is concern over the ability of small governmental units, which often rely heavily on the New England tradition of volunteer government, to manage the new array of technical issues. Christopher Spruce asks if we should not think more carefully about the …
Resource Challenges To Municipal Growth Management, Dennis E. Gale
Resource Challenges To Municipal Growth Management, Dennis E. Gale
Maine Policy Review
For most of the era since 1960, when environmental policy and resource policy have been central public issues, the focus of public debates on those policies was at the federal and state levels. Now, more and more of the decisions and policies that will determine the quality of life for citizens are being made at the local level. Issues that have historically been local prerogatives are increasingly identified as crucial for effective environmental policy and for insuring "quality of life." Those local decisions are often constrained by a wide variety of state and federal policies on environmental policy and resource …