The Ombudsman Program at the Arizona State Legislature

While attending the Arizona State Legislature Career Fair at Tempe campus I had the opportunity learn about many interesting departments/agencies. In particular, the Arizona Ombudsman agency stood out for me. I instantly connected with the agency representative from the department. Learning about the Ombudsman was definitely the highlight of my visit to the career fair.  

According to the Arizona Ombudsman website, the agency helps people who are having a problem with an Arizona state government agency or a public access dispute with a state or local governmental agency. The assistance is provided to citizens by discussing their rights, options and procedures that may already be in place to resolve the problem. Further, the Ombudsman works with agencies on a citizen’s behalf to find a solution that is fair and appropriate. Thus, the Ombudsman is a liaison between citizens and state agencies providing checks for state conduct and ensuring an amiable and trusting relationship between public and state.    

Arizona State Legislature Internship Career Fair

This summer I attended a career fair organized in Tempe by the School of Public Affairs. The event brought together different departments from the Arizona State Legislature under one roof. This event gave me an excellent opportunity to learn about the multi-faceted nature of the Arizona State Legislature.

According to its website, The Arizona State Legislature is a bicameral body with 30 members in the Senate and 60 members in the House of Representatives. Each district is served by one Senator and two House members. The career event was a great opportunity to meet representatives from different agencies under the umbrella of AZ Legislature. Some of the agencies present at the event were the Ombudsman’s Office, Auditor General, etc. I enjoyed my interaction with all representatives that I had the privilege of speaking with. I made some good contacts at the event from AZ Legislature and well as student body. This event certainly ignited my interest in pursuing a potential internship at the Arizona State Legislature.     

Public Transportation in Arizona

Being from New York City and not owning a car for the longest time I cannot help but compare the public transportation infrastructure between New York City and Phoenix. Many of you would think that comparing transportation set up in the two cities is like comparing apples and oranges. I agree with you on that however, I would simply like to juxtapose the two infrastructural set ups and take a note of their similarities as well as differences.

First of all, I’ll acknowledge the obvious that the massive, widely connected subway system simply cannot be applied to the spread out landscape of Phoenix. Due to widely dispersed dense population pockets it is not economically viable to set up a light rail or subway infrastructure throughout the valley. Setting up bus routes is not very cost effective for the same reason but cheaper compared to building subways. The question of public transportation development in Phoenix and Arizona continues to confound politicians and leaders alike. There is no straight answer to this problem but continuous evaluation of options in necessary to make progress in this area.      

Faculty at the School of Public Affairs

I want to utilize this blog post to share my experience and thoughts about the MPA faculty at the School of Public Affairs. After two semesters in the Program, I can only speak for the faculty members that I took classes with. My opinion should not be generalized and is purely a reflection of my experience so far.

Without naming any faculty member in particular, one thing that I observed was that the faculty is extremely helpful in assisting students in reaching their academic goals. Being from an investment banking background I had serious concerns about my performance in a graduate level public administration discipline. However, every single one of my professors worked with me in and outside class during office hours to help me make a successful transition to the field of public administration. Another thing that stood out for me is the passion that professors brought to the class. Besides being masters of their respective disciplines, all my professors brought this energy and passion about the subject that is contagious. As a student I feel significantly engaged in the learning process and inspired to learn more and make a difference in the society.          

Cosmo Dog Park

I am a proud pet parent of a water crazy two year old Labrador retriever. One of his favorite activities to do, besides eating, is going the Cosmo Dog Park in Gilbert. The park boasts of a manmade lake for dogs along with a canine obstacle training course and about four acres of fenced playing areas. The park was named after local K9 hero Cosmo, who was Gilbert’s first police dog. According to Gilbert’s website, “the park’s entire design is inspired by the free-spirited, devoted character that is the canine: lights are decorated with bright and colorful paw-print decor reminiscent of dog toys, and which use the sun to reflect the silhouette of paw prints surrounded by reds, greens and blues on the walk ways”.

I believe that the Cosmo Dog Park is a great example of local government innovation and passion. The park provides a platform for the community to come together and celebrate the bond with its furry friends. A place like Cosmo Dog Park is a great way to enhance social capital and develop stronger ties among residents.      

My 502 Research Methods Class

One of my most demanding classes this semester is the PAF 502 Research Methods Class. The class primarily focuses on utilizing regression analysis for social research and the use of the Stata software.

Regression, by virtue of its nature is not an easy topic to master. I have to often reread chapters just to get a basic understanding of the material. As if the readings are not enough time consuming we also have weekly quizzes. However, I have to admit that at the end of the semester I am happy that I got the opportunity to learn regression in the context of social issues. As an MPA student I believe that the PAF 502 class has not only improved by analytical skills but also broadened my understanding of social dynamics.    

The Aging Workforce of the Local Government

As I look around at my workplace I notice a lot of employees that are close to retiring. I wonder how the City would replace such a big percentage of workforce. After subtly asking around I found out that when an individual retires and leaves a certain position, often departments put a hiring freeze on the position and the work is absorbed by the rest of the team. Apparently, this is a common practice among local governments especially in light of the dwindling departmental budgets.

As a MPA student who will be graduating soon this knowledge alarms me. If local governments continue to engage in the practice of hiring freeze where would the graduating students work? Another issue is that the declining number of employees with increasing workload would severely affect the quality of service. Lastly, increased work related stress would cause exhaustion and burnout among employees. I sincerely hope that there is more stimulation in government’s hiring practice.         

My Farewell

I could not believe how fast my summer internship went by. My last day commenced much faster than I would like. I was extremely fortunate to intern with a team that is passionate about what it does and went out of its way to make my internship experience a truly great one.

My immediate supervisor, Nichelle Zazueta-Bonow held a desert happy hour in my honor and baked her special brownies for me. She organized the entire event and invited the department deputy and director so I could network with them. I was amazed to see that the entire Community Development Team showed up for bid me farewell. I will always cherish the time that I spent interning with the City of Phoenix.    

  

The First Ever Online Budget Hearing

Incorporating technology into the service delivery model, the City of Phoenix decided to hold the first ever public budget hearing online. The hearing which would be streamed live online would have the City’s Mayor Greg Stanton present the annual city budget highlights online and take direct questions from public via Twitter, email and the City’s Facebook page.  

I got the opportunity to behind that scene and see all the preparation that went in to rolling out a live online budget hearing. The Budget Office had several trial runs of the hearing prior to the actual event. A team of more than 20 people were working behind the camera while the hearing aired. Conducting a traditional public budget hearing would have been much easier but making an effort to reach the changing the demographics, the City of Phoenix incorporated technology and innovation into its service delivery.

Rise of the Do It Yourself Culture in Local Government

I observed an interesting work culture trend while interning with the City of Phoenix. More and more people are becoming more self sufficient while performing their job responsibilities. I feel that there has been a paradigm shift from following time consuming procedure steps to improvising and taking ownership of completing a task, especially when it comes to serving the general public.

I was working with my support to process a business development application for making some exterior improvements to an existing building. Part to application process required getting pictures of the exterior façade for historic preservation society approval. The building contractor was supposed to submit the respective pictures along with application packet. I was really impressed by my supervisor who decided to drive to the location and take the pictures himself. It was not his job but he took the initiative so that he could get the application processed faster and provide the best possible service to the customer. The spirit to go the extra mile to serve the public is what drives true innovation and change in local government. I am glad that I got to intern at a place that embraces such a strong public service spirit.

Networking at Work

Anyone who works in a public organization emphasizes the importance of networking. In fact, I got an impression that part of having a successful career with local government is having good connections i.e. it matters who you know. For some reason, I have never been comfortable connecting with people simply because they could potentially help in my career progression.

While interning with the City of Phoenix I developed my own approach to networking. I would like to connect with people who are passionate about what they do regardless of their position in the organization. Further, I would like network with people who’s social and public policy and outlook I support. For example, I really admire the social and political stance of council women Thelda Williams and therefore, I am making an effort to network with her office. I think as future public administrators we should stop and introspect what we stand for and network people who share our values and passion as opposed to rising up the ranks in the organization.

Need for Feedback

During my internship with the City of Phoenix one thing that helped me significantly was getting constant feedback from colleagues and supervisors regarding my work. Requesting constant feedback was something I picked up during my years working in the cut throat investment banking environment.

Constant feedback helps rectify errors while they can be corrected as opposed to waiting till the end of the year feedback when you cannot go back and fix your mistakes. With the changing working environment in public organizations there is greater emphasis on employee performance. As the economic development intern, I was responsible for creating a database of existing biosciences industry related businesses in and around Greater Phoenix area. I worked on the first 20 businesses on my list and sent it out to my team for their feedback. I got some really helpful feedback that helped me produce a better and more intuitive database for the department. I was also applauded for making the effort to initiate feedback from my team.

Incubators in Phoenix

Today I went on a visit to a new small business incubator in the valley. Business incubators offers a range of business support including low-rent space, shared office services, business counseling, access to funding sources and more. Incubators are crucial to the development of small businesses and start-ups that need entrepreneurial guidance, technological resources and more.

The City of Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department works closely with the business incubators in the Greater Phoenix area. The incubator that we visited had state of art conference rooms where everything was controlled by tablet like remotes. While on the technological aspect, the incubator was low on energy consumption and utilized many energy efficiency solutions. One of the mantras of the incubator was to promote sustainable business practices, which was very beautifully incorporated in its building design and operational strategy.

Managing Billboards in Downtown

One of the projects that I worked on involved screening the advertisements that could go on the City owned billboards in Downtown Phoenix. This was an interesting project where I learnt a lot. Certain types of messages promoting local economy such as “Shop Phoenix” requires coming together of multiple departments such as the economic development department, public information office, and accounting department.

The reason for the involvement of multiple is to ensure delivery of inoffensive, politically unbiased and non discriminatory messages to mass. While involvement of multiple departments provides the necessary checks and balances, the entire process of generating public friendly messages becomes extremely time consuming. This raises an important dilemma about government sacrificing efficiency for social equity. In my opinion, people in local government should be ever evolving and try to strike the balance between equity and efficiency depending on the situation.

Budget Cuts in Government

The economic meltdown triggered a ripple affect among local governments, among others. Like many other departments the Economic Development had its annual budget reduced significantly. The lower budget impacted how the department could approach and plan development in Downtown Phoenix.

Economic research studies, marketing strategies and material, etc. cost a lot of money but are necessary to help convince corporations and businesses to Phoenix. Further, the Economic Development Department often has to vouch financial assistance. The capacity of the department to serve is substantially comprised in lieu of declining budgets. I wonder how innovation can be utilized in departments like the Community and Economic Development Department where seed money is required in order to get expected results.

Economic Development in Downtown Phoenix

The City of Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department (CED) often faces a lot of backlash from residents and criticism from local media. Public concerns often center on threat to local businesses from big multi-national corporations moving in and destruction of communities’ natural beauty. While the public concerns are legitimate, we are living in an age where economic development has become a necessity for the survival of communities.

Recently, the CED came under fire for trying to remove a ficas tree on 1^st street between Pierce and McKinley streets. The removal was suppose to be for pedestrian enhancements since there is a storm drain directly underneath the tree and the roots are hazardous to the drainage system. However, residents and media alike organized protests and signed petitions to save the ficas tree. The proposed solution by public was to move the storm drain to a different location. This would cost the City a lot compared to moving the tree. This is a tricky situation because economically removing the ficas tree is logical solution. However, considering the environmental and local sensitivities in mind, the tree should stay. Ultimately, the public prevailed and the ficas tree stayed!

The Flinn Foundation

The Flinn Foundation is a privately endowed, philanthropic grant making organization established in 1965 by Dr. Robert S. and Irene P. Flinn to improve the quality of life in Arizona to benefit future generations. Today, the Foundation supports the advancement of the biosciences in Arizona.

The City of Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department (CED) often utilizes the biosciences research data and other resources collected by the Flinn Foundation to pursue big biosciences companies to move their operations to Arizona. The foundation played a crucial role, along with other partners, in helping CED get the Biosciences Medical Campus to Downtown Phoenix. As an Arizonan I am grateful to have organizations such as the Flinn Foundation that are helping shape a prosperous future for the State.            

Hotel Palomar Downtown Phoenix

Today I got an opportunity to go on a site visit of Hotel Palomar in Downtown Phoenix with my team. It was a private site visit organized exclusively for the City of Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department (CED). CED had been instrumental in bringing Hotel Palomar to Downtown Phoenix. The Department worked with the hotel executives and planners to get them necessary permits and even some tax breaks.

The interior of the Hotel, due to be open in a month, has been inspired by the Native Indian culture. The site visit made me understand the thought and detail that went into building such as amazing landmark. Once in business, Hotel Palomar is expected to contribute significantly to the economy and foot traffic in downtown. Further, the hotel would provide a luxury escape for locals and visitors at affordable prices. I can’t wait for my Hotel Palomar experience!

Interaction with Colleagues

Recently, I took the Organizational Behavior class as part the MPA curriculum. Among other things we discussed about the level of friendliness with colleagues that would be appropriate. As expected there is no right answer. This made me think about my interactions with colleagues at work. What is the most appropriate conduct in a public organization? In my opinion it is hard to strike such balance because one wants to come across as friendly yet professional.    

I thought that I could be my casual self with the other intern while conducting myself professionally in front of my team. Big mistake! I did not realize how the other intern’s opinion of me influenced my image in front of his team. I think that one’s image is particularly very important in a public organization. You should be friendly but always conduct yourself professionally regardless of the title of the people you are interacting with.       

#3 Gaining Citizen Trust and Information

Among other things, my internship role required me to collect logistical information on local small businesses such as number of people they employ, additional office locations, etc. I was not particularly concerned about this aspect of my internship because I thought that people would be trusting of local government and would be comfortable providing such information, especially considering that City needed this information for research purposes and not solicitation.

However, when I started making the calls I was in for a surprise. Even after repeatedly identifying myself as a representative of the City, many people refused to talk. One possibility is that people fear that they might be found in violation of some law by providing additional information about their businesses. Perhaps, cold calling isn’t the best method to collect information on small businesses. May be scheduling in person meetings is a more effective strategy but considering the modicum of resources, it is not practical.