Compleat Administration: A Year in Public Service

By Christopher Grandy

Follows the initiation and development of a child-focused homeless policy in a fictional state government over the course of one year. Judy, an analyst working for a state economic development agency, and colleagues, encounter a variety of issues, concepts, and tools in their daily public administration work: critical thinking, analytical writing, interpersonal communication, public speaking, teamwork, political concepts, economic principles, organizational models, legislative process, indigenous issues, research methods, public budgeting approaches, administrative law, ethics, and futures studies. The book illustrates the application of principles developed in the first year of a masters of public administration program. Intended as a supplemental text for those interested in public administration. The book also relates, in a plausible fictional context, some of the experiences and impressions the author acquired as a state government economic analyst.

Adopted by School of Public Policy, University of Maryland.

“Your book does a nice job of giving a sense of what a year in the lives of mid-level public policy practitioners looks and feels like.” Professor Elizabeth (Betty) Duke, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christopher Grandy
• Release date: Sep 13, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370489091

Christopher Grandy

Christopher Grandy is a retired faculty member of the Public Administration Program at the University of Hawaii (Manoa). Grandy served on the faculties of the economics departments at Barnard College and the University of Hawaii. He worked as an economist for the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism during the administrations of Governor Benjamin Cayetano (1995-2001). Grandy served on the Hawaii State Tax Review Commission (2005-2007) and was a member of the Hawaii State Council on Revenues from 2011 to 2019.

Book preview

COMPLEAT ADMINISTRATION:

A YEAR IN PUBLIC SERVICE

By Christopher Grandy

Copyright 2017 Christopher Grandy

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication

To Dick Pratt

Table of Contents

Dedication

Preface

List of Characters

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

Chapter XI

About Christopher Grandy

Other Books by Christopher Grandy

Connect with Christopher Grandy

Preface

This book is an unusual offering in the field of public administration. It was conceived as a presentation of the substance and orientation of the first year of the Masters program in Public Administration at the University of Hawaii (Manoa) from 1984 through 2015. I initially thought of it as a textbook to be used in our (and perhaps other programs’) classes. Time passed, and work on the book waxed and waned. Events overtook the initial conception, and the Public Administration Program (PUBA) revised its curriculum, making the original structure of the book no longer representative of what the Program offers. And yet, there remained much of value in the original orientation.

These, and other considerations, led me to experiment with re-casting the book as a fictional narrative. I have always found learning material easier when I can see it in context. How might the ideas, and suggestions, work in a plausible real world situation? I started by drafting short vignettes to be used in tandem with a more usual textbook treatment. At some point, I wondered what would happen if I simply presented all of the material within a fictional narrative. It might not work as a standard textbook, but it could be an interesting, perhaps even compelling, supplement. And who knows? Maybe some people would find it interesting as a stand-alone volume.

So, that is the book in your hands (or, more accurately, the book on your e-reader).

I was hired as an Associate Professor in the UH-Manoa Public Administration Program in 2001. I am an economist by training, and I was coming to the end of a six-year stint as an economic analyst with the State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. I had been a visiting faculty member with the Department of Economics at UH-Manoa in the past, and over the years I had taught occasional classes for the Public Administration Program’s masters students.

The structure of the first year of PUBA’s masters program at the time was unusual (at least to me). I had gone through a standard Ph.D. program in Economics, and I had several years of experience teaching semester-long Econ courses to both undergraduate and graduate students. In contrast, the first year of PUBA’s masters program was called the Core Year, and all students took the same two courses over the year. But each course was huge in terms of content—7 credits (rather than the usual 3)—meeting two evenings per week for three hours each evening (plus some Saturday mornings).

Because the students came from a variety of backgrounds, including many with years of working experience in the public sector, the Program sought to make sure that there was a minimum common base. The Core Year provided that base, along with an intensive, relationship-building experience. Material for the Core Year was organized into twelve modules, six modules per semester, and was chosen with the idea of providing public service professionals the knowledge and skills they needed to be effective in their work. The modules covered a wide range of material: From critical thinking to economics to politics to legislative process to administrative law to ethics. And more. Students would get a sense of some of the important ideas and issues in an area, and then they could explore some more deeply in the second year of the program.

As a new, full-time faculty member in PUBA, I was floored. There was so much material, and all of it seemed interesting and relevant (at least from my perspective, having just completed six years with the economic development agency of the state government). Of course, no individual could be an expert in all these areas, so the Program hired lecturers and practitioners with subject-matter expertise to teach in selected modules. The result was a rich, smorgasbord of public service ideas, tools, and topics. By the end of my first year as a PUBA faculty member, I shared the students’ sense of having been through something amazing, exhilarating, and exhausting.

Years later, for many reasons, the Program moved away from this model for its masters degree. But there is a special place in my heart for the Core Year. Thus, this book offers an application of many of the Core Year concepts in a fictional narrative. There are eleven chapters (I’ve combined material from two of the Core Year modules). My hope is that those attracted to public service work will find the material compelling and valuable. This is not a textbook; I do not treat the concepts in depth. However I hope to provide a plausible context for the ideas in a manner that readers will find interesting and useful.

An early commentator on the manuscript for this book suggested that readers particularly interested in the public administration (PA) content would find it helpful to have a conceptual guide. What follows is an indication of concepts I touch upon in each chapter. I list these without elaboration, relying on the context of the chapters to supply explanations.

The PA material in the Core Year (and, hence, in this book) was selected, as suggested above, in response to the question: What do public service professionals need to know to be more effective in their work? Initially (in the mid-1980s), the designers of the PUBA program surveyed and interviewed public service educators, practitioners, and potential students, seeking input on answering this question. Both the module topics, and their content, were constructed in this way. In the years that followed, with the accumulation of experience, the modules and content changed as the demands on public service professionals, and the academic field of public administration, changed. That is, the material developed organically and dynamically.

I envision those engaged in education about public administration to use this book as a supplement to more standard presentations of the material. The fictional context of this work is meant to resonate with practitioners, providing an opportunity to reflect upon, and share, similar themes in your own experience. I hope students new to public administration will get a sense of what public administration looks like—at least from one former practitioner’s perspective.

Note: The following guide to the concepts is organized largely, though not exclusively, in the order the concepts appear in each chapter.

A note on the title. I hope to give the reader a sense of the variety of issues that arise for a mid-level professional over a year in a state (or other) government. My experience was that there are many. In a bewildering variety. The Core Year conveyed this sense of full, interconnected, and multi-perspective experience, resulting in a compleat administrator,—that is, one well-skilled and broadly trained. This is not all that an administrator needs to know, so I am reluctant to use complete. To me, the somewhat archaic compleat suggests broad training and experience, as in holistic; leaving open the possibility of there being more to learn.

This work would not have been possible without the opportunity to teach (and, so, learn) full-time in the Program, largely afforded by my former colleague and friend, Dick Pratt. Dick (and others) founded PUBA, and Dick shepherded the Program through the rough-and-tumble environment of a university for three decades. It was Dick’s creativity, insight, and persistence that made the Core Year possible.

Colleagues and students also contributed to my evolving education over the years. I especially appreciate the contributions of Tom Brislin, Jim Dator, Jerry Guben, Bob Klein, Melody MacKenzie, Roy Takumi, Bob Toyofuku, and Chuck Totto. Especially in a book such as this, none of these are responsible for the way in which I’ve used their ideas, but I hope some will recognize their contributions and smile approvingly. Taehyon Choi, Dick Pratt, and Roy Takumi carefully reviewed the book and improved it with their insights and suggestions. I am very grateful for their time and attention. Finally, my wife, Dew Kaneshiro, made several useful suggestions, which I usually rejected, only to later realize that she was right. Again.

Institutionally, I thank the University of Hawaii for both the opportunity, and the resources, utilized in the making of this book. I also thank the economics departments at the University of Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand) and the University of Verona (Verona, Italy) for hosting me as a sabbatical visitor during this work.

List of Characters

In order of appearance:

Judy: Mid-level state employee in a department of economic development.

Denise: Judy’s immediate supervisor. Head of the Division in which Judy works.

Troy: Colleague of Judy; also reports to Denise.

Sam: Colleague of Troy’s who had taken emergency family leave.

Derek: Former colleague of Troy’s.

Curt: Colleague of Denise’s from another division.

Alexander Fielding: Governor’s Chief of Staff.

Mark Roberts: Deputy Director of the Department and Denise’s immediate supervisor.

George: Colleague of Judy; older and more experienced. Also reports to Denise.

John Peebles: Executive Director of Forward, a technology association.

Cheryl: Deputy Director of Department of Taxation. Member of economic incentives subcommittee of task force on technology regulatory issues.

Bob: Member of Troy’s college senior project.

Rebecca: Member of Troy’s college senior project.

Sarah: Member of economic incentives subcommittee of task force on technology regulatory issues.

Tom Fowler: Director of Communications for Governor’s office.

Linda Cottrell: Reporter for local newspaper.

Peter Sable: Deputy Chief of Staff in Governor’s office.

Joe Stanton: Spokesperson for Department of Agriculture.

Jeff Daniels: Local farmer and leader of farm association.

Jane Hathaway: Executive Director of environmental non-profit organization.

Marie Applebaum: State superintendent, and Director, of education.

Deborah Marshall: Director of Social Services.

John Hall: Executive Director of Kids First, non-profit organization.

Franklin J. Thomas: Governor.

James Shapiro: Director of Department of Economic Development; Judy’s department.

Shawn Collins: Young state representative.

Greg: Number two in economic development department’s Administrative Services branch.

Elaine Schubert: State senator.

Dan Lipido: CEO of Coronado Airlines.

Deborah Chandler: Head of airline pilot’s union.

Dave Greenberg: Professor in university’s Economics department.

Senator Thompson: State senator.

Senator Jones: State senator.

Dave Swanson: Chair of economics department at university.

Alisa: Employee in Curt’s division.

Bill Lang: Manager in Department of Social Services, covering low-income and homelessness issues.

Jill: Head of a division in the economic development department.

Hank Canfield: Previous manager of division now headed by Jill.

Fred: Disgruntled employee in Jill’s division.

Barney: Disgruntled employee in Jill’s division.

Harlan Copeland: State senator.

Ralph Moirer: Office manager for Representative Emily Sturgess.

Joe Cardena: State senator.

Senator Simpson: State senator.

Carl (Small Bear): Law school student and intern.

Dave: Classmate of Carl’s and intern.

Karen: Legislative intern.

Sam Colburn: Older employee of department of Budget and Operations.

Joel White: Experienced employee in Department of Social Services.

Rich: Intern at Department of Social Services.

Elaine Wyndom: Host of television public policy discussion show.

Henry Butler: Analyst from right-leaning American Growth Initiative.

Sarah Rogers: Analyst from left-leaning Bolton Foundation.

Nan: Secretary to Alexander Fielding.

Marcus Willoughby: Director of Budget and Operations.

Sharon Koster: City council member. Chair of budget committee.

Susan: Secretary to Denise.

Bill Ferguson: Seasoned employee of county bureau of land management.

Marcia Stanton: Director of county bureau of land management.

Casey: Temporary assistant to Bill Ferguson.

Jack Harbaugh: Employee of Department of Education.

Sharon Johnson: Deputy Director of Department of Education.

Chapter I

Judy kept her eyes down as she crossed the street. The flap of the tent that had been in front of her until she crossed moved as though someone was emerging. Judy wasn’t ready to start her day, a large Starbuck’s in one hand and a smart briefcase in the other, jockeying with a homeless person over sidewalk space. If truth be known, this early in the morning she also did not want to face the frequent dilemma of responding to the near-certain request for spare change.

The homeless problem had gotten noticeably worse in the months after the financial crisis. While there had always been one or two people on the streets earlier, there were more now, sometimes whole families.

Judy looked back over her shoulder as she reached the other side of the street. A girl, perhaps 10 years old, had emerged from the tent flap. She was bent over, apparently trying to zipper the flap closed as quietly as possible. As the girl finished and stood, red-faced from the effort, she looked at Judy. Judy saw a sequence of surprise, defensiveness, and bravado flash across the girl’s face. Judy started to smile, but the girl had looked away.

Judy frowned. She always cringed when she saw young children around the tents in the park, thinking of the contrast between her own comfortable childhood and the lives of these kids. At age ten, Judy would no doubt have thought living in a tent would be fun—as long as she could go back to her bedroom after a couple of days. The girl headed in the opposite direction, toward a gas station and its bathrooms.

The homeless situation, and affordable housing generally, was something Judy was also struggling with professionally. She had been working for the Department of Economic Development since she finished her Masters degree eight years ago. The work had been fun and interesting, and Judy felt good about being able to use her training to do policy analysis on a variety of issues. She especially liked the energy of the legislative sessions, the arguments over policy options, the jockeying for position, and the development of some, always imperfect, response to the issues.

But the homeless problem seemed in a different league from the relatively small, well-defined matters she had dealt with in the past. The Governor—and so the Director of her department—had come under increasing pressure in the last 18 months to do something more substantial about the homeless, as the number of people on the streets and parks rose. At the same time, the economy was still struggling to recover from the recession that had followed the financial crisis, and the state budget already had been under pressure.

Judy was working on a background paper for the Director on homeless policy responses across the country. She had been given the luxury of a long deadline—two weeks—which was a treat compared to the usual deadlines, sometimes measured in hours.

And yet the project had gone slowly. It was not just that it took time to assemble information from other jurisdictions on homeless policy responses. Judy had hoped that, as she gathered this information, she would generate ideas to make recommendations to the Director. Yet other jurisdictions’ policies were quite diverse, and there was relatively little by way of objective assessment of the outcomes of different approaches. Judy found herself at sea in the possibilities. And the two weeks were coming to a close.

Judy nodded to the guard at the large reception desk in her building’s foyer. He smiled at her in recognition and wished her a nice day. Riding up the elevator, Judy began thinking about the memo and its as-yet-nonexistent recommendations. She knew that Denise, her immediate supervisor, wanted to know what direction Judy was going in. There was a decent chance that this interest was relayed from the Director in response to a question from the Governor. Judy tried not to think about that; better to focus just on Denise.

Judy couldn’t get the young girl’s face and eyes out of her mind. The girl’s bravery impressed her most. That first exchange of looks seemed to acknowledge the girl’s vulnerability stemming from her circumstances. Yet the vulnerability disappeared as the girl confidently marched down the sidewalk toward the gas station. Judy liked that. Could we at least do something about the kids? she thought to herself.

Judy froze. The elevator door had opened on her floor, but Judy stared into space, thinking furiously. The kids. Could there be a policy response that focused on homeless children? The elevator doors had closed and the car rose. In rapid succession Judy’s brain presented child-focused responses, followed by fragments of objections and obstacles. Yet Judy was excited in a way that she hadn’t been for more than a week. Maybe this is a direction we could go.

The elevators slid open smoothly, and Judy walked out, thinking she was on her own floor. She nearly walked into Denise, who was coming into the elevator. Judy looked at Denise in confusion, then realized that they were on the director’s floor. She backed into the elevator