What if governments were accredited?

1. From Colbert King's column last Saturday, "Outfoxed In the District":

At the heart of the problem is a government that has outgrown -- and outfoxed -- the leaders elected to oversee it, namely the 13-member D.C. Council. This isn't a knock against the ability of council members, although some are more able than others.

Truth is, the council is confronted with a nearly $10 billion government enterprise run by 32,000 career workers who constitute a $2 billion payroll. Without a powerful investigative arm of its own, the council is like a pussycat pitted against a python. It's a sad day when the council must turn to outsiders to investigate a scandal in the D.C. tax office.

To meet its responsibilities under the Home Rule Act and to improve the accountability of city government, the council should have at its disposal the equivalent of Congress's independent, nonpartisan Government Accountability Office. The D.C. auditor's office is too small and limited in scope. The D.C. inspector general is administratively within the mayor's office, operates with a budget beyond the council's reach and basically sets its own agenda.

The council needs its own watchdog agency staffed with accountants, lawyers, policy analysts and program specialists to support aggressive legislative oversight. Otherwise, prepare for more hand-wringing over government foul-ups as city bureaucrats continue doing whatever they please.

2. From "Get your act together, students tell Clayton school board," in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Four students begged the Clayton County School Board Monday to begin acting professional and do everything it can to prevent the district from losing its accreditation. For the second time in five years, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is investigating the board for unethical behavior and threatening to revoke the district's accreditation. Loss of accreditation means no HOPE scholarships, no acceptance to some universities, no pre-kindergarten funding for students and lower property values are at stake.

The SACS probe focuses on allegations of micromanagement, misuse of funds, bid tampering, conflict of interest and abuse of power among the nine-member school board.

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It's not just a "watchdog" capability that is required, but a real policy analysis, planning, and budget arm. See for example the NY Independent Budget Office which:

is a publicly funded agency dedicated to enhancing understanding of New York City's budget by providing non-partisan budgetary, economic, and policy analysis for the residents of the city and their elected officials.

IBO is an independent city agency. It does not report to one particular entity or group of entities, but instead is responsible to the people of New York City. Our principle users are the Comptroller, the Public Advocate, the members and committees of the City Council, the Borough Presidents, the city's 59 community boards, the media, and the civic and community organizations of New York....

The IBO's staff of about 25 individuals has diverse professional experience in public policy, public administration, business, law, and economics.

And it would need to have some independence. One of the biggest problems right now in DC Government, in both the legislative and executive branches, is a focus on politics and the permanent campaign, rather than governance and excellence in outcomes.

In a city like NYC, there are also many independent nonprofit watchdog groups that further add oversight. Just two of these organizations, the Citizens Union Foundation, publisher of Gotham Gazette and the Center for Urban Future, publisher of City Limits, act as important oversight and communications entities. (Plus there is the Municipal Arts Society, Transportation Alternative, Streetsblog, the NY PIRG, and so many other organizations.)

And active colleges and professors focused on the city.

Plus a very competitive media environment. Not just newspapers, but imagine a cable news channel that covers only NYC, all day.

Anyway, I have argued elsewhere that if DC really believes it deserves statehood, it needs to step up its level of functioning at the legislative and executive branch levels.