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The Border
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 34 Bowen Island Times (Bowen Island, BC), 2/7, 10, 30 April 2010 For over three years I lived in a town called St. Stephen in the extreme southwest of the Canadian province...
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A Better Public Service
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 19 Courier Weekend (St. Stephen, NB), 31/37, A-5, 31 October 2008 St. Stephen must be adaptive to enable innovative solution of many of our primary problems. Some of the most...
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Motivation and Money
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 10 The Saint Croix Courier (St. Stephen, NB), 143/29, B-16, 22 April 2008 Motivation is usually defined as the “intensity, direction, and persistence of effort” sustained...
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22-23 August 2007 – Land & Landings – St. Stephen, NB
Wednesday, 22 August 2007, 7:35 am, St. Stephen, NB Some work for the CAPACOA Ottawa conference. SOS from Jeanne Moses on Grand Manan, regarding leasing of airports. Council follow-up. Long interview...
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Criteria for Strategic Direction
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 35 Bowen Island Times (Bowen Island, BC), 2/8, A7, 14 May 2010 Interdependence The political necessity in assessing strategic direction is the effective interrelationship...
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Should Municipalities Tax Income and Sales?
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 24 Courier Weekend (St. Stephen, NB), 31/52, A-5, 13 February 2009 Municipal revenues continue to shrink, but demand on government continues to expand. The main source of...
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Powers of Local Government & their Limitations
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 2 The Saint Croix Courier (St. Stephen, NB), 143/14, B-8, 8 January 2008 We live in a province that uses legislation to regulate its municipalities that was enacted in...
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Government: Who Does What?
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 3 The Saint Croix Courier (St. Stephen, NB), 143/19, C-5, 12 February 2008 . When it comes to their government, citizens are sometimes unsure who is responsible for what. An...
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Citizen Engagement and Local Government
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 15 Courier Weekend (St. Stephen, NB), 31/28, A-5, 29 August 2008 . During the last two generations, citizens have increasingly demanded their meaningful inclusion in their...
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Traditional and New Public Management Conflicts
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 32 Civil Thoughts Series, Bowen Island Times (Bowen Island, BC), 2/5, 7, 2 April 2010 . New public management’s stated values, which I described in my previous column, are...
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Local Government Autonomy
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 36 Bowen Island Times (Bowen Island, BC), 2/9, 7, 28 May 2010 “There are no Canadian local governments that are politically autonomous in any meaningful sense. They have no...
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People and the Place They Work In
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 27 The Saint Croix Courier (St. Stephen, NB), 144/27, A-5, 7 April 2009 I am often asked two questions relating to municipal staffing: (1) how are people hired? and (2)...
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Municipal Budgets: Meanings and Components
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 5 The Saint Croix Courier (St. Stephen, NB), 143/21, C-8, 26 February 2008 . A Town’s budget is a policy statement. It is only secondarily a device of financial control....
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Table of Contents – Local Government
“On Being a CAO in Canada,” Municipal World (St. Thomas, ON), 122/10, 13 (October 2012). “Leaders,” Civil Thoughts Series, Bowen Island Times (Bowen Island, BC), 2/11, 4, 25 June 2010. “Policy,...
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Use and Abuse of Political Power
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 23 The Saint Croix Courier (St. Stephen, NB), 144/18, A-5, 3 February 2009 . Power as Persuasion Organizational power is the political use of influence. It is based on...
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Tax Dollars and Sense
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 20 Courier Weekend (St. Stephen, NB), 31/41, A-5, 28 November 2008 . Municipalities obtain very little cash from the province. In fact, only about 9% of municipal revenues...
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24-27 August 2007 – Grand Manan, NB
Friday, 24 August 2007, 9:18 am, Seal Cove, Grand Manan, NB Away from the house just after 9:30 a.m., and at the ferry dock in Blacks Harbour by 10:30. Fine crossing, with two sightings of whales;...
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Government Isn’t Strictly Business
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 8 The Saint Croix Courier (St. Stephen, NB), 143/27, B-3, 8 April 2008 I have worked for multinationals and have run my own businesses. I have also worked with and for...
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Economic Opportunity in the World Around Us
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 7 The Saint Croix Courier (St. Stephen, NB), 143/25, A-8, 25 March 2008 St. Stephen, New Brunswick, is significantly affected by issues that arise from the external...
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Bowen Island’s Municipal Administration: Engineering and Operations
Civil Thoughts Series, No. 39 Bowen Island Times (Bowen Island, BC), 2/12, 6, 9 July 2010 With files from Brent Mahood, Director, Engineering and Operations Bowen Island’s municipal administration is...
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