Happy Monday! It’s hard to believe we are already 7 weeks into our PWEs. Time is going by so quickly and I’m trying to absorb as much as I can before the summer is over.

This week was all about Advance. The EPA Advance program is a collaborative effort by the EPA, states, tribes, and local governments to encourage emission reductions in attainment areas nationwide to maintain the NAAQS for ozone and PM. Participation is voluntary, and the EPA offers guidance and support for government entities to develop proactive air quality maintenance plans for their jurisdiction. Currently, there are 38 active participant areas across 21 states and 9 of the 10 EPA Regional Offices. Our very own home state of NC is included in that count, with the NC Department of Environmental Quality participating in both Ozone and PM Advance, and Cumberland County and Mecklenburg County each participating in PM Advance.

The Advance program, as I mentioned before, is unique in that it is voluntary. It does not include any regulatory requirements – participants have the flexibility to design and implement their own air quality control measures and programs. These individual frameworks allow participants to improve their air quality and better position the areas to remain in attainment of the NAAQS. You can read more about the EPA Advance program here.

In addition to my work on Advance, I was also able to attend a briefing with Anne Idsal, the Acting AA for OAR. Members of my team as well as leadership within OAQPS briefed AA Idsal on the latest air quality issues. The briefing was extremely fulfilling, as it was an opportunity to learn, and it also illustrated how impactful my team’s work is. These are not just air quality issues, but national issues that affect hundreds of millions of people, and it is very rewarding to be a part of it.

See you next week!

Sydney

For the first time in history, North Carolina does not have an approved budget as operations of the new fiscal year are underway. Thanks to current law, there will be no government shutdown and the budget will continue to run on auto-pilot based off of last year’s budget provisions. However, we have had four days of postponed votes in the House on the potential veto override of HB 966, and there is still no conclusion on how the General Assembly plans to address the budget for the 2019-2021 biennium.

While we wait for a decision to be made on the next steps for the budget, whether they go for the override, draft continuing resolutions, or continue operating on auto-pilot, education bills have been flying through committees and sessions this week. Bills regarding teacher contract changes and new personal finance courses (SL 2019-82) as well as studies on the challenges of being an NC Pre-K site (SL 2019-87)have become session law this past week. There were a handful of bills ratified and sent to the Governor this week, including bills modifying the school success indicator (HB 411), higher education changes (HB 668), educator preparation program changes (HB 107), and adjusting the performance grading to a 15-point scale (HB 362).

There were many more education bills that moved through committees and crossed from one chamber to the other this week that will continue moving next week. It is so easy to get caught up in the bills that mandate DPI do something or directs the State Board to do something or requires the Superintendent to do something, but this week I really enjoyed following bills that directly impact and benefit students (which is of course why I am here).

SB 354: Sam’s Law would make the following changes:

• Allows parents to petition the student’s school for the development of a seizure action plan
• Would require schools to create seizure action plans for each student with a seizure disorder
• Requires schools to keep individual plans on file for administrators, nurses, and if the parent allows, volunteers that supervise the student
• Provides training for teachers and school employees on administering medication and assisting these students.

The plans would require documentation from the following:

• Student’s healthcare provider regarding seizure medication, dosage, administration, and symptoms
• Student’s parent indicating who is permitted to administer medication

The school would be provided at least one unopened dosage of the medication from the parent and the school is required to safely and securely store the medication in an accessible location for trained school personnel and volunteers. This bill aims to eliminate the potential detrimental consequences of schools being underprepared for assisting students with seizure disorders.

SB 391: Expand Youth Internship Opportunities

Current law restricts youth under age 18 from being employed in occupations that have been declared hazardous by the US Department of Labor or deemed detrimental to youth by the NC Commission of Labor. These occupations include:

• Welding, brazing, torch cutting, electrician,
• Work involving exposure to quartz, lead, benzene, or any other volatile compound
• Work involving cutting or slicing machines, freezing and packaging machines, ladders or scaffolds, confined spaces, or the use of respirators.

This bill creates an exception for youth ages 16-18 to participate in supervised experiences in occupations found detrimental by the Commissioner of Labor. The following conditions must be met to be eligible for the exception:

• Student is enrolled in a school that has partnered with an employer offering the experience;
• Employer has submitted written documentation to the Commissioner of Labor that indicates that the work is incidental, intermittent, for a short period of time, performed under direct supervision, and the supervisor is experienced and qualified;
• And the employer must provide training and safety instructions as well as an organized schedule of the student’s work.

Aside from tracking and reviewing bills this week, I have also worked on proposing the amount of funding to be granted to school districts from the Mobile App Development Grant Program. It is actually awesome to see the partnerships that have developed between employers and schools and how these schools are using funds to create courses that prepare students for future work with that employer. I have also gotten to review applications for the State Board Student Advisors positions; there are only two positions (one junior, one senior) that are filled by students who serve as the representatives on the Board. We get to begin interviewing this week, and I actually suggested to the interview team best practices for interviewing candidates from HR class LOL.

Most fun I have had this week was attending networking events with my bosses. Here is a pic of me with my building from an event this week 🙂

Me & the Education Building

For those of you either disappointed that I didn’t post last week or because I didn’t post about Transit, hopefully this double-header will make up for the wrong that has been done.

Example of an electric bus.

Last week, I spent an enlightening week with Transit. In addition to doing some Excel projects for Transit that will hopefully save some time and effort in the future, I was able to research busing options that Salisbury may be interested in pursuing in the future. For starters, I looked at electric buses. These vehicles present a challenge in that they save money and the environment over time, but the upfront cost of the vehicle is significantly higher than a gas or diesel vehicle, and it requires extra infrastructure and maintenance training for the electric batteries. Other vehicles I researched were smaller shuttles (electric and gas) that may be less expensive but still cater to Salisbury’s ridership, and family vans that could potentially be used like a local government Uber. All of these ideas sound interesting and worthwhile, but how can you predict what your city will need years down the road (small pun, not sorry), considering these vehicles are a long-term investment.

This just in, let’s talk about Communications!

Communications really is the key, especially to a local government that wants its citizens to be aware of what is going on and how their local government can benefit them. For example, the Salisbury Police Department has some really cool initiatives to help reduce crime and build the relationship between Police and residents (they have a Police Ice Cream Truck!!!), but no citizens would know of these efforts if communications wasn’t there to get the message out. All that is to say, your initiative/program could be the greatest in the world, but it means nothing if it isn’t communicated to and understood by the people it is meant to help.

One of my favorite projects this week was working on an article about Fleet personnel who hit a huge goal in Emergency Vehicle Technician certification. While writing the article is challenging due to the difference in style from this blog, where I basically ramble on and yet you are STILL reading, but it is rewarding knowing that even just a few citizens will see that city staff are trying to better serve the city. Plus, you get to show staff that you appreciate their hard work and accomplishments.

Filming for Salisbury Now.

A final cool project was a video I helped on (I held the boom mic so I am kind of a big deal) for Salisbury Now, which is a television program about what is going on in the City, produced by the communications department and aired on local access TV. These videos can also be viewed online, and are such a neat way to get the information to people like me, who would rather watch a video than read a newsletter.

That’s all for now! Tune in next week for Public Services, and maybe I will fill a pothole!

**DIsclaimer: if you recently finished year 1 of the mpa program, it may be too soon to see another memo. if this post is triggering, please click the small ‘x’ in the upper right hand corner. Other than that – welcome to this week’s blog. Surprise! It’s written in memo format. every MPA-er knows that memos are life. So, here ya go!

TO:                  MPA Matters Readers

FROM:         Courtney Cooper-Lewter, MSW/MPA Intern 

DATE:           10 July 2019

SUBJECT:  Chatham County Manager’s Office Organizational Culture & Quirks

The purpose of this memo is to outline some of the organizational quirks of the Chatham County Manager’s Office, from an intern’s perspective. 

BACKGROUND

HAPPY TWO MONTH-IVERSARY to me and the Chatham County Manager’s Office! I have spent the last two months really diving deep into understanding Chatham culture and the Manager’s Office, in general. I am very grateful to be working in an office that embraces me as part of the team, not just an intern.  Plus, this office is quirky and eclectic and awesome! So in this memo, I will discuss some of the key things that make this office’s culture different.

DISCUSSION

According to Management Study Guide, a healthy organizational culture increases motivation, unifies, and brings out the best in employees. So far, there are three aspects of the Chatham County Manager’s Office that make it stand out as a great place to work.

1. 1. 1. Christmas in July: Yep, that happened. Our awesome Safety and Risk Manager, Marilyn Grant, surprised everyone in the office with a gift + Christmas card on July 1st. The gifts were thoughtful and pretty spot on! For my gift, I got a pretty scarf! I have no idea how she knew I loved scarves. A heavy coffee drinker in our office, who shall remain unnamed, got a cute monogrammed coffee tumbler. After some further investigation, I found out that this is her yearly tradition in the office. I was pleasantly surprised and it was a great mid-summer pick me up!
      2. Eclectic Knowledge: You would be surprised to know that the majority of the folks working in Chatham County Manager’s Office don’t have an MPA or even a government educational background. Our Budget Director has a PhD in psychology. Our Human Resources Director has a history background. And, our County Manager has an environmental engineering degree from NC State! We also have folks that are experienced in furniture sales, pharmaceutical companies, and have basic law enforcement training (BLET) all in one office. This shows that Chatham County Manager’s Office is a place for everybody (and where just about any question can be answered).
      3. HR on the Ground: Chatham County’s Human Resources department is awesome and housed in the County Manager’s Office! It seems like the HR staff individually knows every 500+ employees in the County. It is obvious that they make an effort to learn about new employees and be approachable. My office is right across the hall from the Benefits Manager’s office and people pop in all of the time to ask her questions and just talk. I am convinced she has magical powers because she remembers tons of details about people’s lives, like where their kid goes to school or a vacation someone took recently. A few weeks ago, the HR Director cleaned my office as part of job shadowing of the one of the maintenance workers. HR invites folks out for lunch for check-ins. The HR Director even bought us lunch on July 5th as a celebration of being at work the day after the holiday. Later this week, I will be shadowing the HR Director, so tune in next week to see what I learn!

FINAL VERDICT

This final verdict is in….Chatham County Manager’s Office is a warm, welcoming, and fun place to work. 10 out of 10, would recommend!

Ok, so I don’t actually have an Uncle Sam, I just work for him. But I do have an Uncle Chip (see below), and he loves American pastimes like cornhole, cookouts, and Thanksgiving turkey, so I figure he fits the bill.

Uncle Chip making Thanksgiving dinner

This short holiday week had me reflecting on the idea of Uncle Sam and what it means to work for the federal government. As MPA students, we are familiar with the negative connotation that sometimes comes with working as a government official (at any level). America was built on a foundation of freedom and democracy, so we instinctively fear the idea of “Big Government.” This makes it a little challenging to be an employee of said government, especially within an Agency that wields regulatory authority. Americans generally don’t like being told what to do, and their trust in government is fragile, which makes it all the more critical that the EPA maintain the best relationship possible with citizens and stakeholders.

In a meeting this week, the director of my division spoke of “Good Government.” I felt very happy in that moment because (1) it wasn’t an acronym I had to look up, and (2) it reaffirmed my confidence in this Agency and the federal employees that work here. The EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment, and it does so while valuing transparency, accountability, and responsibility. The MPA program has taught me the importance of good government, and here it was in that meeting staring me straight in the face.

My team works regularly with the Regional EPA offices, states, tribes, and local communities to ensure that we are clearly communicating expectations and supporting their efforts to meet the NAAQS. We listen to their grievances, answer their questions, and establish standards to provide Americans with perhaps the most basic public good – a healthy environment. And while there is no precise definition of what good government should be or what it looks like, this seems, at least to me, to be pretty close.

I spent my Fourth on a boat in the middle of the Tennessee River, soy hot dog in hand, excited to be working for Uncle Sam and supporting a government that is good.

Sydney

Following Governor Cooper’s Veto of HB 966 Budget Conference Report last week, education bills that have made crossover continue to move quickly as the Budget heads back to chamber floors for a potential veto override. Some of the high profile K-12 education bills that moved through committees this week include HB 107: PED Oversight/EPP Changes, HB 362: 15-Point Scale For School Performance Grades, HB 668: Various Higher Education Changes, and HB 922: Enhance Insurance Coverage/Educ. Buildings. Each of these bills have been placed on the Senate Calendar to be considered next week.

• HB 668 would make the following changes:
  • Allow high school graduation in North Carolina to be evidence for students to rebut the presumption that the student’s residence is the same as the parents’ residence.
  • This evidence as a factor allows students to receive in-state tuition both at UNC constituent institutions, community colleges, and to qualify for need-based state grants.
• HB 922: Enhance Insurance Coverage/Educ. Buildings
  • The Senate Education/Higher Education Committee proposed and passed this Committee Substitute to a former Vacation Rental Act.  The amended version of HB 922 would:
  • Authorize a Type I transfer and consolidation of the School Insurance Fund Section of the Department of Public Instruction that currently oversees the management and operation of a system of insurance for public education property to the Department of Insurance (DOI).
  • Transfer the Public School Insurance Fund to the DOI.
  • Require all LEAs, regional schools, and community colleges to purchase flood insurance for all education property.

A high profile bill that has had little movement in the past few months will be considered in House Committee on K-12 Education next week. SB 5: Building North Carolina’s Future would allow community colleges and local school administrative units access to funds for capital projects as well as increase the amount of tax revenue that is deposited into the General Fund. These capital improvements had been included in the budget through bonds, however this bill aims to reduce state debt by providing a pay-as-you-go system.

This week we worked hard in the Superintendent’s Office selecting the districts that would be awarded grants from the Coding & Mobile App Development Grant Program that will be announced after next week. These grants help districts starting up and continuing professional development and certifications to help teachers learn the curriculum and how to teach students these coding and app development software. The most interesting part about this program is it requires that districts have business partners that are committed to helping the students in learning more and possibly offering job interviews one day.

Furthermore, we looked at all the applicants for the State Board of Education Advisor Positions. These are 2 positions that allow a junior and a senior student to represent students on the State Board for the following year. This is a position that allows students to have a voice on the board in decisions that impact them daily. Of the 140 students that applied, the two selected will be announced soon and be honored by the Superintendent!

Numerous K-12 education bills are scheduled to be heard next week in the House and Senate committees and chambers. Additionally, the State Board of Education will hold their monthly meeting next week on Thursday, July 11^th at 9:00 am so we will see what has come to discussion since last month’s meeting focused on school safety.

Over the past few weeks, I have conducted 26 interviews and attended eleven community meetings in an attempt to gather important information needed to push the human relations initiative forward. The surprising thing is that my interviews have yielded slightly different information than expected. Which, for the record, has not been a bad thing. It just creates more alternative pathways for a human relations initiative.

I’ve spent the past week, catching up and recovering from the many meetings and interviews. I have been reviewing notes, inputting notes, updating spreadsheets, and creating more spreadsheets. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a spreadsheet with all of my interview questions and notes so that responses are easy to locate. After attending some sessions at, what I like to call, YouTube University (regular YouTube), I figured out the best and most straightforward way to begin coding my interviews. As I am digging through my research…it feels a little something like this…

Obviously, there are some clear connections between the results of the interviews and feedback from community meetings. The challenge is that there are so many different ways to connect and present the results. In addition to the results, I asked each interviewee if they knew of any community members that may be able to support my research. Thanks to a little bit of snowball sampling, I now have a list of secondary contacts which will provide me with more findings. So, I’ve got spreadsheets on spreadsheets on spreadsheets.

Me…looking at all of my spreadsheets

Even though it feels slightly overwhelming, I know that as I continue to dig deeper it will get better! Plus, since I already have a spreadsheet system in place, it’ll be easier moving forward with my results.

I am glad that I finally have a documentation system that I feel comfortable with. But now, I am also making a slight transition…I will begin looking into the research. I have tons of topics that I want to review to see how they apply to human relations, public interactions with local government, and diversity initiatives. To start, I will begin with digging deeper into Chatham County history by:

• renting DVDs from the Chatham County Public Library on the County’s History
• talking with historical associations, churches, and families about Chatham County
• reading up on the History of Chatham through existing reports

Even though things are shifting, I will still have interviews and meetings to attend. I will also be shadowing a department head for a day too! So, things should be getting pretty interesting this month.

I look forward to updating you next week!

Local government has many incredible leaders, but the 2020 Democratic debates showed just how many people are hoping to make the jump from the local to federal level. Although Mayor Buttigeg and Mayor de Blasio are the only candidates running that are still in local government, 8 of the 20 candidates who debated this past week got their start there. That’s 40% of the candidates!

The eight folks representing local government during these debates are: Cory Booker (former Mayor of Newark, NJ) , Pete Buttigeg (Mayor of South Bend, IN), Julián Castro (former Mayor of San Antonio, TX), Bill de Blasio (Mayor of New York City, NY), John Hickenlooper (former Mayor of Denver, CO), Beto O’Rourke (former Mayor Pro Tempore of El Paso, TX), Bernie Sanders (former Mayor of Burlington, VT), and Eric Swalwell (former City Councilor of Dublin, CA).

While I was watching these debates I couldn’t help but analyze some of their roles. As some of you may know, most local governments have either a Mayor-Council or Council-Manager form of government. In Mayor-Council governments the Mayor is in charge of day-to-day activities. One example of this is New York City, NY. Whereas, in the Council-Manager form, city managers are tasked with these activities. The City of Durham functions as a Council-Manager system.

In a recent article in CityLab, several leaders discussed their experiences in local government, and how this would inform them in the role as President of the United States. Hickenlooper said, “I do think that having been a mayor provides wonderful training and experience of finding ways to bring people together and achieving goals and accomplishments through that unity.” One book called, “If Mayors Ruled the World,” points out that local governments are capable of changing the world because they rely on collaboration and interdependence. This type of leadership will be necessary going forward as politics get more complicated.

Personally, Governor Hickenlooper’s words were encouraging to me, because it shows that people are realizing the change-makers that exist in local government. More people are understanding our dedication to creating positive communities, and our drive to further this.

No matter what happens, we all know the best Mayor of all time is Mayor Max of Idyllwild, California.

Hello! It was an eventful week here at EPA, filled with lots of meetings, mentoring sessions, and a news headline. I’ll start with the headline. Bill Wehrum, Assistant Administrator of the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), resigned this week, meaning that I will be getting a new boss. Anne Idsal, who served as Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator of OAR, is expected to replace him. The Assistant Administrator is head of OAR and considered EPA’s top air policy chief, overseeing the various Offices within OAR including mine, OAQPS. A Dr. Jacobson-approved organizational chart can be found here.

Bill Wehrum, former Assistant Administrator of the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation

Many of the meetings I attended this week dealt with ozone issues. Ozone (O₃) is a gas that can be found up in the stratosphere or closer to us at ground level. Stratospheric ozone is good; it provides a shield-like layer that protects us from the sun’s harmful rays. You may recall hearing about an “ozone hole,” which is in reference to part of the stratospheric ozone layer being depleted and exposing parts of the world to ultraviolet radiation.

Ground level ozone on the other hand is bad. Ground level ozone is produced when man-made emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react with heat and sunlight. It is commonly identified as the main component of smog. Ground level ozone can be harmful to our health, causing respiratory problems, reduced lung function and damaged lung tissue. It also can harm crops, vegetation, and sensitive ecosystems. Over the weekend, you may have seen an air quality alert for Chapel Hill. That alert was about excess concentrations of ground level ozone! So, as a recap, stratospheric ozone=good, ground level ozone=bad.

Ozone is one of the 6 criteria pollutants regulated according to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The others are carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide. The EPA is granted authority under the CAA to establish standards for these pollutants to protect human and environmental health. My team within OAQPS helps to review the ozone NAAQS and makes sure that states are meeting the standards.

Another exciting aspect of this week was the “Flash Mentoring” session that was hosted for the interns at OAQPS. Staff from the various divisions within OAQPS sat down with us in a speed dating-style format to offer professional guidance and career advice. Networking is something that I have struggled with in the past, but opportunities like this (as well as the fabulous MPA program) have helped to build my confidence and improve my networking skills. The event also provided an informal setting for me to get to know my coworkers on a more personal level and learn about their backgrounds and goals.

Thanks for reading!

Sydney