Alumna Talks About Life in Alaska as DEC
Transcription
Alumna Talks About Life in Alaska as DEC
MPA News Spring 2011 Vol. 3, Issue 1 A FACULTY, STUDENT AND COMMUNITY COMMUNIQUE Alumna Talks About Life in Students seek Alaska as DEC Water Manager celebrity for water advice Erin Brockovich gives group insight on project By Tammy Lyn Gann Photo Courtesy of Cindy Christian Cindy Christian, 1989 graduate, attributes her success to the MPA program at La Verne. By Tammy Lyn Gann A s the Compliance and Monitoring Manager for the Drinking Water Program for the State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation, former 1989 MPA graduate Cindy Christian says her education at La Verne has always played a central role in her abilities to perform her job effectively for more than 20 years. Christian supervises a group of 25 professional and technical staff, who are responsible for the protection of public health drinking water by providing regulatory oversight in more than 1600 public water systems located throughout the state. Providing regulatory oversight in Alaska drinking water systems can be very challenging, Christian said. In addition to extreme weather conditions — sometime 80 degrees below zero at some water stations in the North Slope, “We face some unusual situations simply because of the geographic realities in the state of Alaska,” she said. Alaska has about 640,000 residents occupying 570,374 square miles, or 365,039,104 acres of land. Alaska is the largest state, about 2.3 times the size of Texas and about one-fifth the size of the “Lower 48” states (the rest of us). >> see Chrsitian, pg. 4 >> GET INSIDE FOR: INTERNSHIP INFORMATION, STUDENT PERSPECTIVE AND “FROM THE DESK OF CLAUDE” As part of the MPA curriculum, every student must take PADM 501, Public Administration & Society, which introduces students to the concepts and interdisciplinary dimensions of Public Administration by assigning Erin Brockovich actual case studies for review. So when three students, Candice Bowcock, Lisa O’Brien and Gabriela De La Cruz, were assigned to the Wichita Confronts Contamination case in Dr. Lisa Saye’s class, they took their assignment one step further and contacted renown water activist Erin Brockovich to help assist with their project. This case study is exceptional in that it is one successful example >> see Project, pg. 4 MPA News Spring 2011 FACULTY publications// conferences Assistant Professor of Public Administration Publications Marcia L. Godwin and Richard J. Gelm. 2010. “California District 26 Race: Warner (D) v. Dreier (R),” in The Roads to Congress 2008, ed. Robert Dewhirst and Robert P. Watson. Lexington Books. Marcia Godwin. 2010. Book Reviews for Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries (American Library Association): Gerston, Public Policy Making: Process and Principles, 4th ed.; Kenski, Hardy, and Jamieson, The Obama Victory: How Media, Money, and Message Shaped the 2008 Election; Norrander, The Imperfect Primary: Oddies, Biases, and Strengths of U.S. Presidential Nomination Politics. Presentations Presenter, “Saving for a Rainy Day (or Years) in California: Tenure, Policy Learning and Local Government Reserves,” Western Political Science Association Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA April 1-3, 2010. Presenter, 2009/10 Research Forum, College of Business and Public Management. Peer Review Article Referee, American Journal of Political Science, November 2010. Article Referee, Publius, November 2010 >> see Faculty, pg. 7 Suzanne Beaumaster, Ph.D. Professor Marcia Godwin, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Kevin Marshall , Ph.D. Associate Professor Jack Meek, Ph.D. Professor Lisa Saye, D.P.A. Professor Keith Schildt, Ph.D. Professor Matthew Witt, Ph.D. Professor Adjunct Faculty Robert Adamik (DPA) Regmae Mortgage Corp. 2 >>New Student Perspective By Tammy Lyn Gann Marcia Godwin MPA Faculty Page New to the MPA program, student Greg Porras says he doesn’t regret leaving another graduate program to attend La Verne. In his third term now, Porras said it was the change of systems — public to private that made him transfer. Coming from an overcrowded public system after earning his bachelor’s degree at Cal State Los Angeles in communication studies in 2008, he said he was very impressed with the smaller class sizes and the one-on-one attention La Verne provides. “I found ULV to be a much more Greg Porras hands on university. You don’t get lost in the mass of students,” he added. As this is a particularly interesting time to study public administration, Porras currently is a contracted employee working under the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in its Los Angeles bureau. Working as an administrative specialist in the Human Resources and Payroll department, he is not only responsible for the day-to-day operations of the downtown office, but also works as a liaison for the student internship program and found out about the MPA program through a La Verne student intern. “I would like to find a career in which I can draw upon my communication skills … I hope to go into public policy or governmental affairs ... combining my public relations experience with public administration,” he said. Marcus Castro (DPA), Cal Dreams Project Noel Hacegaba (DPA), City of Long Beach Steve Harding (MPA), Urban Futures Phil Hawkey (Lld), Executive Vice President, University of La Verne Robert Lewis (DPA), El Monte School District Robb Quincey (DPA), City Manager of Upland Lawrence Schroeder (DPA) Claremont City Councilmember Board of Advisors Jeff Allred, City Manager, City of Rosemead Paula Cone, Partner, HdL Coren & Cone (Consulting) Henry Garcia, City Manager, City of Rialto Steve Harding, Urban Futures Paul Hubler, Community Relations Project Manager, Alameda Corridor East Project Cynthia Kurtz, President & CEO, San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership Jeff Parker, City Manager, City of Claremont Robb Quincey, City Manager, City of Upland Phil Hawkey, Executive Vice President, University of La Verne Jack Meek, Professor and Chair, University of La Verne A FACULTY, STUDENT AND COMMUNITY COMMUNIQUE City Talk: MPA Student Values Internship Experience By Tammy Lyn Gann For MPA Student, Silvia Paniagua, interning at the La Verne Chamber of Commerce has allowed her to embrace her course studies and apply was she has learned to further build her career in the nonprofit sector. As part of the MPA curriculum students, who lack public sector experience, must intern at a nonprofit or government agency in order to meet all the requirements to graduate, ad Paniagua said the opportunity provided for the first time in her working career to work in an office setting in a nonprofit. Silvia Paniagua “I had a very positive experience at the Chamber. Through my internship, I was able to see a successful collaboration between nonprofit and forprofit businesses,” she said. Expected to graduate in the Spring 2012 from the MPA program with a concentration in nonproft, Paniagua earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology at La Verne in 2010, and said her family encouraged her to pursue her master’s at La Verne as well. As an intern for the Chamber, Paniagua says a she assists with answering phones and the public supporting the CEO and office administrator, but during busier days she helps out with special events the City holds, such as the Taste of La Verne fundraiser, La Verne Day at the L.A. County Fair and Sowing Seeds Food Drive, as well as with Chambers Board meetings and generating marketing ideas. She said working alongside the CEO Brian McNerney, and Annette Leonard, administrative assistant, has been nothing but positive. “… Annette Leornard worked to help me understand and was really patient with me and answered any question I had,” she said. 2011 MPA Winter Graduates Congratulations to all MPA graduates! • Janet Clark • Jennifer Finnie • Christian Cruz • Diana Manzano • Virginia Culbertson • Jennifer Palacio • Carlos Figueroa • Tony Thi As a single mom, Paniagua juggles her time between school and a part-time job, so adding in an internship has been difficult and said, “Dealing with all my responsibilities can at times be a huge task.” Paniagua encourages other students to apply for an internship and says without her experience at the Chamber the transition from student to professional would have been much more challenging. “Before my internship and studies combined, I don’t think it would have been possible for me to understand the dynamics in a nonprofit environment.” M.P.A. Internship Program calls on students A s part of the M.P.A. program, and a requirement to graduate, students without previous public, nonprofit, or service sector experience must take PADM 598 Government Internship III (3 semester hours) during the course of the program. This requirement is in addition to the 39 semester hours needed for the M.P.A. Dr. Marcia Godwin, assistant professor of public administration and internship director, is assisting students who need to fulfill this requirement with contact information that may offer either paid or nonpaid internships. This is an excellent opportunity, especially in this time of budget cutbacks, for organizations to receive assistance with projects and assignments requiring analysis skills. Students are asked to complete three master’s level courses before starting an internship and require a minimum of 300 hours of service. Most students already have significant work experience, but may wish to move into higher level positions that possess a strong commitment to the public service sector. Areas of internships include local city and county governments, nonprofit agencies and the court system. Those interested in interning are required to follow the application process specified by the organization of choice and Dr. Godwin says both the intern and organization will be involved in an evaluation process at the end of the internship. For more information please contact Dr. Godwin at mgodwin@ulv.edu or (909) 593-3511, Ext. 4103. MPA News Spring 2011 >> Christian, from cover “This is a huge state with very little of accessibility by a road system. This makes it challenging to get to water systems … or to respond to emergencies,” Christian said. One case in point is the recent detection of Sufolane found in about 200 water wells in and around the North Pole. Sufolane is an industrial solvent used to refine oil and the contamination was discovered in 2009 by Flint Hills Resources, the current owner of the North Pole Refinery. According The Fairbanks Daily NewsMiner, a gasoline spill that occurred at the refinery more than 10 years ago, under a previous ownership, is believed to have caused the contamination. Photo Courtesy of Cindy Christian Public records show the Department Cindy Christian with her husband, Don, and of Environment Conservation respond- dog, Maggie, hike at Suntrana Creek in Alaska. ed by forming a Technical Project Team to investigate the contamination issue spend most of our time addressing imand address the concerns of the citizens. portant issues.” Christian, as a project team member, With most of her staff spread out was responsible for establishing and de- throughout the state, from Fairbanks veloping objectives for a drinking water to Kenai, and the public water systems TPT sub-group, as well as discuss the expanding from Barrow to Adak in the on-going sampling conducted on the Aleutians, communication is paramount, wells. she says. Christian said she “… places a very “The only way to achieve the goal of high value on collaboration and coop- providing safe drinking water to everyone eration” in order to overcome staff short- is through excellent communication.” ages and budgets cuts. “We have a highly As a public administrator, leadership functioning team, and we are able to skills are very important, and through >> Project, from cover how various agencies worked together to find a solution to a city that was experiencing a serious water contamination issue in 1990. This case study teaches students the concept of Intergovernmental Relations (IGR), as introduced in the text, Public Administration Concepts and Cases, by Richard J. Stillman II. Impressed with the initiative the students took with their project, Dr. Saye said the work this group did is going to be a hard act to follow. Inspired by the 2000 movie, which Juliet Roberts nabbed an Oscar for, and after reading the case study, Bowcock said the first thought her group had was to try and contact Brockovich to see if she knew anything about the case, and if she did, what her opinion was. “We all thought we might as well try to e-mail Erin Brockovich and see if any current cases she’s working on are similar, and if so, it would really help us instead of us trying to find a similar project on our own … we wanted to know what worked and what didn’t work for her,” said Bowcock. As a water-contaminate whistleblower, Brockovich was fairly easy to contact. Although all communication the group had with Brockovich was through e-mail, Bowcock said once they left their e-mail addresses with her office, Brockovich im- Page 4 her experience, Christian advises current MPA students to “take the opportunity to develop your leadership skills. These kinds of skills are extremely important in implementing public policy.” “Enjoy your experience and soak everything up. You never know when a seemingly arcane piece of information or knowledge will come in handy,” she added. Christian moved to Fairbanks in 1985 when her husband was stationed at Eielson AFB. “In the summer of 1985, my husband, four-year-old son and our dog drove from Del Rio, Texas to Alaska … we fell in love right away,” she said. Dedicated to the concept of lifelong learning, Christian attended classes at Eielson AFB and chose the MPA program at La Verne because she said she felt the program was the best fit for her career goals at the time and graduated in 1989. Some of Christian’s hobbies include spending time with her husband, son and daughter-in-law, hiking, running, boating, canoeing, fishing and gardening. She also enjoys reading and cooking. “Fairbanks is a very friendly town … we actually like the weather here. It can be rather cold in the winter, but summers are awesome,” she said. “Winter has its own kind of beauty and we still love being here after 25 years.” mediately contacted them. Bowcock said, “… she’s an advocate and whistleblower for everyone … she ended up e-mailing us back and said ‘Hey of course, I love to help, what do you guys need?’” Brockovich, who stumbled onto a water contamination case, was instrumental in exposing a corporate cover-up and winning one of the largest legal cases against Pacific Gas & Electric when its Hinckley, Calif. facility was found guilty of knowingly contaminating the town’s ground water with cancerous levels of hexavalent chromium that dated back to 1965. The case settled in 1996. >> see Project, pg. 5 2011 MPA Winter Graduates A FACULTY, STUDENT AND COMMUNITY COMMUNIQUE >> Project, from pg. 4 Brockovich was very familiar with the Wichita case, said Bowcock, and added that Brockovich said Wichita is one of the most successful water cases in the country where government agencies actually took responsibility and accountability in addressing the issues. For O’Brien, she said she was pleased the Wichita case study and “… was very refreshing to see a local government take on the huge responsibility of this cleanup, despite the immense financial cost and risk, because it was the right thing for their town.” Because there were many agencies involved in this case, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Wichita City Council, Sedgewick County Council and the Wichita School Board, many of them had to work together, in what Stillman theorized as IGR, in order to avoid a Superfund status, which would dramatically increase the cost, time to cleanup and the problem itself. “Seeing these large agencies all compromise to help the city was very encouraging. It reminds us that compromise can be reached between big government agencies and small local governments to achieve a common goal,” said O’Brien. Whether Dr. Saye gave the group an “A” or not, it goes to show how valuable resources can be and going the extra mile only reminds us the reasons why we do what we do as public administrators. Candice Bowcock For Bowcock, public administration is a family affair, as both her grandparents and father worked for the City of La Verne. So naturally, Bowcock said she began working for La Verne as a student intern after high school. Candice Bowcock After attending Cal Poly Pomona and earning her bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning, she decided to enroll in the MPA program at La Verne. Currently, Bowcock works in the planning department for the City of La Verne and says she loves helping people. Bowcock is slated to graduate this Spring and says that she plans to pursue a career as an assistant city manager or manager, but after the Wichita case and Brockovich’s influence, she says she might consider the working for the water district. Lisa O’Brien For O’Brien, the Wichita case brought to light how public administration can work effectively. In her case, O’Brien, an administrative clerk for the Public Works Department for the City of La Verne, said she is anxious to learn Lisa O’Brien more about govern- NOTES FROM CLAUDE’S DESK … ment and use her MPA degree to advance in the City. O’Brien earned her bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in criminal justice at Cal Poly Pomona in 2005. “I have worked in various positions for the City and think the La Verne staff is top notch. I enjoy the small town feel,” she said. In her spare time, O’Brien says she enjoy spending it with her husband, their families and two dogs. Gabriela De La Cruz De La Cruz, who is in her second term in the MPA program, is no stranger to the University of La Verne, earning her bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public affairs information Gabriela here in 2007. De La Cruz A current member of the University of La Verne Alumni Governing Board of Directors since 2008, De La Cruz is employed with the Pomona Unified School District assigned to work on special community projects, public relations and communications for the district. As a member of the Phi Sigma SIgma San Bernardino Alumnae Chapter, she served as the Chapter’s president for two years, from 2007-09. De La Cruz currently resides in La Verne and says she plans to stay in the public sector upon graduation. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT HAS MOVED the Fall of 2009. Please check your La Verne e-mail on a regular basis or setup and forward to a primary e-mail that you use daily. It is crucial that you stay informed and connected – don’t get left behind. If you have any questions, please call Claude at (909) 593-3511 Ext. 4947. MPA Reminder: The 2011-12 application deadline for the Capital Fellows Programs is quickly approaching on February 23, 2011. Applications and information about the Assembly, Senate, Executive and Judicial Administration Fellowships can be found at www.csus.edu/calst/programs. The Public Administration department has moved to the Student Resource Center, which is located next to Wilson Library. If you have any questions, please call Claude at (909) 593-3511- Ext. 4947. <click here for campus map> 2011 CLASS SCHEDULE GOES GREEN Part of the Green Initiative at La Verne, the MPA class schedules are now being e-mailed to all students, which began in PUBLIC SECTOR OPPORTUNITIES MPA News Spring 2011 Page 6 Assistant City Manager Speaks on Ethics in Government By Tammy Lyn Gann On the heels of one of the worst cases of local government misappropriation, and as the city of Bell tries to recover from last year’s scandal of a grossly overpaid city manager and council, trust in government is at an all-time low, especially when California unemployment remains at about 12 percent, the second highest in the nation. According to a recent article featured in the PA Times November/December 2010 issue: Improving the Corruption Perception Index for United States, Transparency International’s Perception Corruption Index (CPI), which measures the perception of corruption in the public sector rated the United States 22nd at 7.1 among 178 countries surveyed. So what does this mean? We all know that no matter how much the public sector in the United States attempts to remain transparent, it appears that it is losing the confidence of its constituents by raising concerns of integrity, according to the CPI rating. “The loss of confidence is as much a result of the economic downturn as of the public sector’s inability to convince that it can effectively contain the issue,” said Alexandru Roman, doctorate public administration student at Florida Atlantic University and author of the PA Times article. During a time when city administrators are scrambling to find innovative ways to stay connected with their constituents, Santa Fe Springs Assistant City Manager Thaddeus McCormack, says engaging people and getting them involved in the process is essential to maintaining that trust and transparency needed to ensure the democratic process functions as intended. “There are a lot of bad influences out there and in most cities, democracy is such a tenuous proposition and doesn’t work if the people aren’t engaged in a meaningful way, and unless they trust in their elected leaders, the system falls apart and people become disengaged,” he said. Photo by Tammy Lyn Gann Thaddeaus McCormack, Santa Fe Springs assistant city manager, says engaging the community is key to transparency. In 2009, The L.A. Times reported, the egregious salaries of the Bell city manager and its council. Bell, one of the poorest cities in Los Angeles County, pays its top officials some of the highest salaries in the nation, including an $800,000 for its city manager, $100,000 for its city council and $457,000 a year for its police chief. As a result, former Bell City Administrator Robert Rizzo, 56, faces 53 felony counts of misappropriation of public funds, conflict of interest and falsification of documents, including allegations that he wrote his employment contract without council approval. Of those counts, 44 involve the misappropriation of more than $2.5 million in public funds, including awarding $1.9 million in unauthorized loans to himself, reported the L.A Times. Preserving Trust Preserving integrity and building trust are key components to transparency and McCormack says without trust in government, citizens are less likely to do their part and take interest in their communities. “Most people don’t understand that it is a very nebulous government, and there is a lot of focus on government now because the economy is terrible … people are looking for help,” he said. “… but when things are pulled away, such as community programs or police and fire services, suddenly [they] understand, but in a superficial way.” As public administrators, ethics play a huge role in gaining the trust of constituents; however, having too much power without strong civic engagement allows abuse to happen when no one is watching or asking questions, as it did in Bell. “A lot of [it] was outright criminal and fraudulent … a lot of it happened in open meetings where nobody was at and nobody asked questions … all with the Council saying ‘OK that sounds good,’” said McCormack. “It’s much more difficult for that stuff to happen if people are engaged and people are watching and understand what’s going on,” he said. Building Ethical Communities Building ethical communities is one that is done over time and requires engagement among people seeking a unified community, said Terry Cooper, a professor in Citizenship and Democratic Values, School of Policy, Planning and Development at USC. In an essay, Building Ethical Communities, which was published last year by the American Review of Public Administration, Cooper further says, “ethics focuses on the usually taken-for-granted normative assumptions from which we derive specific moral rules to guide our action.” What happened in Bell derived from a blind trust its citizens had in its leaders — assumptions that government was doing its job effectively and in the interest of the public. McCormack says he understands that at times, it’s easier to have a benign dictatorship where it’s easy just to say, “just trust us,” but when corruptive influences are there, “it a slippery slope once you disengage the public.” A FACULTY, STUDENT AND COMMUNITY COMMUNIQUE >> Faculty, from pg. 2 Service Panel Chair, “California Dreams (and Nightmares) II: Urban Dystopia,” Western Political Science Association Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA April 1-3, 2010. Dr. Godwin is continuing to assist the Cal-ICMA’s Preparing the Next Generation Committee with research about the local government profession and participated in Preparing the Next Generation activities during the 2010 International City/County Management Association Conference in San Jose, California. Jack Meek Professor and Coordinator of Research & Graduate Studies Papers Presented Jack Meek (2010) “Institutional fragmentation in metropolitan areas and infrastructure systems: governance as balancing complexity and linear tasks, paper presented at the 1st International Workshop on Complexity and Policy Analysis held in Southampton, England, July 21-23, 2010. Jack Meek (2010) “Institutional fragmentation in metropolitan areas and infrastructure systems,” paper presented for the panel “Complexity and Metropolitan Governance,” at the Annual National Conference of the American Society for Public Administration held in San Jose, California, April 12, 2010. Publications Christopher Koliba, Jack W. Meek, Asim Zia (2010) Governance Networks in Public Administration and Public Policy. New York: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group. http://www.crcpress.com/product/ isbn/9781420071269 Jack W. Meek (2010) “Complexity Theory for Public Administration and Policy,” Emergence: Complexity and Organiza- tion, Vol. 12. Issue 1., pp. 1-4. http://iscepublishing.com/ECO/issue_ contents.aspx?Volume=12&Issue=1. Jack W. Meek and Hong Kyu Lyu (2010) “Bridging Jurisdictions: Conservancies Working Across Borders as Adaptive Systems.” Emergence: Complexity and Organization, Vol. 12., Issue 1, pp. 39-51. http://iscepublishing.com/ECO/issue_ contents.aspx?Volume=12&Issue=1. Peer Review ASPA National Conference Paper Review Committee for 2010 Conference Journal Reviews (Ad Hoc): Public Administrative Quarterly, International Journal of Public Participation, Public Administration and Management, Public Administration Review Workshop Presentations Co-presenter, “Site Visitor Workshop,” Accreditation Institute, National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, Las Vegas, Nevada, October 1, 2010. Co-presenter, “Cite Visitor Workshop,” International City and County Management Association, San Jose, California, October 18, 2010. Workshop Presentations Jack W. Meek And Kurt Thurmaier, Co- Chair, Intergovernmental Relations In 2020: Theory And Practice, Special Friday Symposium of the American Society for Public Administration, April 9, 2010, San Jose Fairmont, San Jose, California. Sponsored by: The Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management (SIAM) Federal Systems Panel at the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) Panel Chair, “Complexity and Metropolitan Governance,” at the Annual National Conference of the American Society for Public Administration held in San Jose, California, April 12, 2010. Section Chair, Section on Intergovern- mental Administration and Management (SIAM) of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), 2008-2010 Chair, Standards Committee, National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) NASPAA Accreditation Site Visit Chair, California State University, Chico (February 2010) Lisa Saye Assistant Professor of Public Admin. Papers Presented Lisa Saye (2010) “ ‘The State of the Caribbean’ presented at the 28th Annual Conference of The Association of Third World Studies (ATWS), October 07-09, 2010 in Savannah, Georgia where I presented a paper called on October 08, 2010 as part of the panel called Lisa Saye (2010) ‘Beyond the Marble Cake: Current Trends in American Federalism,’ presented at ‘The State of the Third World’ at the Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration (EROPA) Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, November 21-25, 2010. Mathew Witt Assistant Professor of Public Admin. Presentations Panel convener “Towards Forensic Public Administration.” For the Ethics & Professionalism Track, 70th Annual American Society of Public Administration Conference, San Jose, CA, April 9, 2010. Dr. Witt repeated this presentation May 20, at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Public Administration Theory Network, Omaha, NB. Discussant, Panel on “Race Politics” at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Public Administration Theory Network, Omaha, NB.