News from SLLF; news from state leadership around the country; reviews and recommendations.
| 5/8/2012 Kitzhaber: Three-Time Governor Turning Oregon’s Tide Written by John Buntin, Governing John Kitzhaber once called Oregon “ungovernable.” Now, he’s forging bipartisan alliances that are making it one of the best-governed states in the nation. Read the article. |
| 4/12/2012 SLLF Leadership Forum (Brown University, May 10-12): Rhode Island pension reform success may spread to Illinois Written by Chicago Tribune Lessons from 'The Little State that Could': 'This is about math, not politics' Gov. Pat Quinn and Mayor Rahm Emanuel appeared together Wednesday night at a Tribune forum deep inside Chicago's Field Museum. Looming over them onstage was a thousand-pound gorilla. No, not an escapee from a natural history exhibit upstairs. This beast, invisible yet the most powerful force in the room, is the pension crisis now menacing the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago and a shockingly long list of local governments statewide. |
| 3/22/2012 State Integrity Report: 50 States and No Winners Written by Ken Morton A study was just released ranking all 50 states. The news is not good. A summary of the results is called "50 States and No Winners". View the results, state by state. |
| 3/14/2012 Pensions Top Priorities in Louisiana, Washington Written by Ken Morton Rhode Island's pension reform bill will be a case study at the SLLF Leadership Forum focused on Restoring the People's Trust in Government at Brown University in May. The timing seems auspicious as other legislatures, including Louisiana and Washington, grapple with the pension issue: Louisiana - Let the Lawmaking Begin Washington - State Leaders Discuss Budget Plans
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| 3/13/2012 Courson elected Senate leader Written by Gina Smith, The State Longtime Columbia state Sen. John Courson was elected to the top post in the state Senate Tuesday, but the political musical chairs may not be over. The 67-year-old Republican defeated Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, by a 27-17 vote for the job of Senate president pro tempore, one of the most powerful in the Legislature. Courson succeeds the Senate’s longtime leader Glenn McConnell. McConnell was sworn in Tuesday by S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal as South Carolina’s new lieutenant governor, replacing Ken Ard who resigned last week.
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| 2/17/2012 BettyLou DeCroce sworn in to replace late husband Alex DeCroce in N.J. Assembly Written by Ken Morton Assemblywoman BettyLou (CQ) DeCroce (R- Morris), was sworn in Thursday at the Statehouse in Trenton as the newest member of the Assembly. DeCroce succeeds her late husband, former Assemblyman and Minority Leader Alex DeCroce, who died unexpectedly on Jan. 9. She joins Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-Morris) and Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-Morris) in representing the 26th District serving the 26th District in Morris and Passaic counties. |
| 2/17/2012 House Speaker Ben Luján (NM) Gavels Last Session Written by Ken Morton Inside House Speaker Ben Luján's office in the basement of the Capitol, visitors streamed in, looking for name tags or information or a place to hang their coats. Staffers frantically worked the phones, rounding up lawmakers for an upcoming floor session. Students came by on a tour, and other people mingled around the coffeepots. On the surface, these morning arrivals were part of the mundane preparation for another day at the Legislature. But the guests' mission wasn't to greet the speaker for the day; it was to say goodbye. This time next year, someone else will sit in the speaker's office. |
