Problems and Defining Them

I am currently working on a customer engagement project that I am having so much fun working on! I am working with one of the Senior Budget Analyst to help define "the problem". In my research I have found that there is never a concrete answer to the problem. Many counties and cities have initiated some form of customer engagement and each one is unique. Each county or city must provide services to its citizens while continuing to address their needs. What makes this project so much fun for me is that each city or town is unique. I have found some great resources to help build our narrative to explain the need for citizen engagement in the county. Open governance consists of the values of transparency, accountability, inclusion, and responsibility, and I am glad that I get to be a part of a group that gets to plan that for the county. I personally think it's a great move for the county, and I believe that the voters and citizens would enjoy having an input.

A Meeting with George Pettit

On Monday September 29th, I had the opportunity to meet with George Pettit from The College of Public Programs. Former City Manager of Gilbert, Mr. Pettit is now the coordinator for The Marvin Andrews Fellowship at Arizona State University.  I decided to meet with Mr. Pettit to satisfy my career development requirement and also because I hold an interest in the fellowship. Mr. Pettit explained to me that the Marvin Andrews fellowship. In this program students would be pursuing an MPA/MPP or a Masters in Urban Governance. While taking classes in the first year, fellows will work in the Alliance for Innovation that will give them the opportunity to apply research methods and recognize trends. In the student's second year, you will be placed within a local area of government (city/county) for an internship where you will be working alongside local government leaders and managers. Arizona State University is ranked #2 in the United States for City Management and Urban Policy, and I have been strongly urged to apply! I will be completing my application for Arizona State University, and also the application for this opportunity.

MAG Meeting & Border Crossing Card

Border Crossing Card

Yesterday on Wednesday September 24th, I had the opportunity to attend a MAG meeting. (Maricopa Associations of Governments) Here, the Executive Director briefed the board of city mayors and representatives about the improvements to the Border Crossing Card. Currently our Mexican neighbors are allowed to travel 75 miles from the border of Mexico, limiting visitors to go only as far as Tucson. MAG views this as a beneficial improvement not only for the people of Mexico, but also the whole state of Arizona. Allowing people with Border Crossing Cards access to the entire state of Arizona would add a 2.7 billion dollar increase to state tourism and trade dollars. In order to retain a Border Crossing Card, Mexican residents must pass a background check. Border Crossing Cardholders are viewed as low risk citizens that have been granted entry to the United States for up to 30 days.

MAG aims to:

1. Make it easier for travelers to connect and visit Arizona
2. Make it possible for pre-cleared visitors to have access to the whole state of Arizona
3. Focus on legitimate security concerns, (instead of visiting families)
4. Attract the business community and legislature to come on board

Members of MAG including, Mayor Sharon Wolcott of Surprise listen to the Border Crossing Card briefing

Because cardholders will have access to the state, this means that every Arizona City would have the opportunity to participate. Overall this is a positive move for Arizona.

For More information about MAG please visit: http://www.azmag.gov

Adopt Trixie!

Hello blogosphere, meet Trixie the dog! Here at Maricopa County after the invocation and the pledge of allegiance, the Board of Supervisors allows Animal Care and Control to showcase a special animal friend that is up for adoption. Trixie is available at the West Valley Animal Care Center located at:

West Valley Animal Care Center
2500 S. 27th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85009
(27th Ave, South of Durango)
(602) 506‑7387

Monday - Friday 11 AM to 6 PM (All Services)

Saturday - Sunday 11 AM to 5 PM (All Services except Owned Pet Surrender)

For more information on Trixie and Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, please visit: http://www.maricopa.gov/pets/

A Typical Day at The Office

How it all starts: I wake up at usually 5 or 5:30 am. I get ready then bike from my apartment to the ASU West campus. I then take the 7:00am shuttle to the Downtown campus. It’s usually a 30 minute commute so I either review class notes or bump some inspirational tunes to get me in the zone for the workday. I then arrive to the Downtown campus around 7:30am, and then I bike from campus to the Administration Office. I then head upstairs to the office and fire up the computer. Email is a key form of information in the office, so I check that first. After email is checked I then take out my calendar to see what is on my schedule for the day. I then make a list of priorities and tasks that I want to accomplish. This helps me to be able to organize my time spent working on projects for different people I have to report to. If I have meetings listed for the day, I make sure I have all materials and information I need before going. I take notes at meetings, and I make sure to ask questions if I want to know more about a topic or project. Everyone at the office is very helpful and is always offering advice, knowledge, and guidance. It’s a great setting to be in, because you are constantly learning through and from your actions. If I’m not in a meeting you can find me researching and working on projects. I have found that being able to apply your research for more than a check for understanding and a grade, is very rewarding. Knowledge truly is power and having the know-how and research skills to find answers to your budget matters or policy questions can open up an entire world of learning, and I find it fun. To finish the timeline, I take lunch around noon, and continue to work or go to meetings until 5pm.

Does the size of a flagpole really matter?

At last week’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting, the residents of the New River Desert Hills Community Association came to voice their opinion, that size really does matter. The Desert Hills Community Associations mission strives to preserve a rural lifestyle. The two representatives of the association spoke about proposed renovations to a major cell-phone carrier cellular tower disguised as a 70ft flagpole. The cellphone carrier asked the Board of Supervisors for approval to extend the height of the flagpole by 10ft and the width by 12in. These extensions would be made to increase a 4G LTE network to the New River area. The residents were concerned that the flagpole was no longer looking like a flagpole and the flagpole would distort the rural setting of the community if renovations were approved. After questions from the board, the proposal was delayed, pending the communication and collaborations of the cell carrier and community organization. Chairman of the Board Denny Barney, suggested to the carrier to work closely with the community to create a model that the community can agree on. Find more info on Desert Hills Community Association here: http://www.newriver-deserthillscommunityassociation.org/

Organization is Key!

As a full-time intern and a full-time student, life can get a bit hectic. Knowing when assignments are due for class is a must, especially if you are taking multiple online classes. For future interns, I suggest that you keep a calendar and preferably try to color coordinate it. I keep track of my homework assignments for school, my project due dates for the internship, along with a follow-up timeline. These tasks are usually listed in different colors to keep your calendar from blending together and to keep schedule organized in order for you to maximize your time. Even though I have been assigned projects to work on and a team to report back to, I also have the opportunity to attend various county meetings. Sometimes you never know when a special opportunity(like touring the Medical Examiner's Office and seeing how facility functions and discovering their budgetary needs)might pop up so…

Maricopa County Office of Manangement and Budget

The organization that I am interning for is Maricopa County’s Office of Management and Budget. The Office of Management and Budget oversees the budgets of various departments within the county. The staff consists of budget analysts, budget administrators, deputy budget directors, strategic business planning administration, and finally policy and compliance. At my internship I will be working on an array of projects. My current research and analysis projects include the best practices strategies for participatory governance, an analysis of federal transfers between state and local government, and diverse models of revenue forecasting methods.