VCC Magazine Fall 2018

V irginia C apitol C onnections , F all 2018 18 B ONNIE A TWOOD, J.D. Tall Poppies Consulting Writing, Governmental Consulting BonAtwood@verizon.net 804-314-7265 Public administration is not often seen as a very interesting or even important topic—certainly not one that elicits passion on the part of one asked to comment on its state. However, for me public administration has long been an academic discipline and career deserving of our attention and support. Because I believe that Americans who value good government should have a special affinity towards those who serve our democracy, I frequently personalize the profession by referring to it as our public administration. Like many of my generation, I was first made aware of the importance of public administration when President John F. Kennedy challenged his fellow Americans to consider government service as a way to give back to their country. Today, most of those who took up Kennedy’s challenge and served in the administration of government programs and policy at all levels have retired. Upon reflection, one is led to conclude that, with some exception, those who took up Kennedy’s challenge and joined the ranks of public administrators have served our country well. They did so during a period of an increasingly volatile political environment. In an increasingly volatile political environment, public administrators at all levels of government were frequently singled out as scapegoats by elected officials seeking to transfer blame for failures directly attributable to their own lack of leadership. Today, scapegoating continues as administrators are besieged with criticisms from elected officials at the highest levels of government. At the national level, the recent charges levied against administrative professionals and government institutions they serve are unprecedented. With little in the way of supportive evidence, these charges have included political partisanship in the implementation of public policy, lying while under oath, violation of rules regarding classified information and a host of other indictments. The resulting effect of these attacks has been devastating for public administration, particularly at the national level. Recent firings and forced resignations of senior administrative officials have significantly reduced the experience and competency level in many agencies and departments that make-up our public administration. Others are carrying on despite criticisms from the White House, reduced morale, the threatened freezing of Congressionally approved pay raises, promotions based on personal loyalty to the president at the expense of considerations of merit, a president who appears to value the word of our adversaries over his own administration and even growing uncertainty The State of Our Public Administration: WhyWe Should Care By Bill Shendow among government administrators regarding the essence of their organizational mission. Many of those concerned about what the future holds for the profession are particularly alarmed by the damage being done to the recruitment efforts necessary to fill the ranks of government administrators. While the damage to public administration may not be completely known for years to come, it is reasonable to conclude that unless the current state of public administration is reversed there could well be a lasting negative impact on the profession. It is, therefore, incumbent upon emerging leaders in government to be prepared when the opportunity presents itself to introduce ideas and initiatives aimed at restoring respect for those individuals and institutions who currently serve and the recruitment of others who will be serving in our public administration. There are numerous suggestions that merit consideration on how best to restore and enhance our public administration. What is needed is a commitment to make the effort a priority and the resources to make it successful. In the final analysis, when considering the state of our public administration it is also important to be reminded that our government is only as good as those who serve. We need to be further reminded that those who serve goes beyond existing elected officials to those who daily manage our government, implement public policy and constitute our public administration. Dr. Bill Shendow is a Professor Emeritus in Political Science and Public Administration at Shenandoah University in Winchester. Dr. Shendow PhD. is from the Center for Public Administration and Policy at Virginia Tech. He also has a MA in International Relations from Georgetown University and a BA in Political Science from Wake Forest University. WORDSPRINT.COM/VCC-PUBLICATION-ORDERS.HTML Pre-order the 2019 Red Book today! This edition includes contact information for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and 2019 General Assembly. Virginia Capitol Connections 2019 Personalized Covers Available! Ordering online is simple and easy! V