2Day in #OpenGov 10/16/2012

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NEWS ROUNDUP:

Government

  • Tangherlini talks innovation: Dan Tangherlini, acting administrator of the GSA, outlined some avenues towards innovationthat his agency is pursuing. Speaking at a seminar at George Washington University, he highlighted telecommuting, mobile devices, social media use, and crowdsourcing. (Executive Government)
  • Romney to lobbyists- You’re hired? Lobbyists are hopeful that if Mitt Romney wins the presidency his administration will be more open to hiring them than President Obama, who signed an executive order keeping many lobbyists from moving to jobs in the White House. (Politico)
  • Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Several staff changes on K Street came to light today. Notably, a former chief of staff to Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) headed through the revloving door. Chelsey Pendrod Hickman is joining the Grossman Group as a lobbyist. (National Journal)
  • IRS struggles to monitor 501(c)4s: “Non-profit” groups that don’t have to disclose their donors have been flooding this years election with unregulated, unlimited cash. These groups are supposedly regulated by the IRS, but the agency has shown little interest in investigating potential wrongdoing, releasing related information, or even effectively managing their paperwork. (Politico)
On the Campaign Trail
  • Romney rewards big donors: Mitt Romney is treating the most generous donors to his Presidential campaign to a luxurious retreat in New York this week. The event, held at the Walford- Astoria, will span three days and feature lunch with Ann Romney, meetings with the campaign’s top strategists, and a dinner speech by running mate Paul Ryan. (Washington Post)
  • What happens in Vegas is people see a lot of campaign ads: Las Vegas has seen more political commercials, over 73,000, than any other place in the country so far this election year. Luckily, there is some variety in the onslaught with at least 98 different ads in rotation. (New York Times)
State and Local
  • In Alaska, private emails regarding state business are now public record: On Friday the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that if State employees use their private email accounts for work communications they are considered public record, largley affirming a previous Superior Court ruling. The case in question dates from when Sarah Palin was serving as governor and an activist discovered that she was using her Yahoo account to conduct state business. (Alaska Public Radio)
  • San Francisco’s open data updates: San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced proposed changes to the cities Open Data legislation yesterday. The new legislation will require the city to hire a Chief Data Officer as well as have each city agency appoint an open data coordinator, establish open data plans and itemize what data they collect. (GovFresh)

RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:

  • None

HAPPENING TODAY 10/16: 

JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

  • None. 

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