Monday, January 03, 2005

Governor's Inauguration - January 3, 2005 Today is yet another historic day in Utah as Jon Huntsman gets sworn in as governor.  Governor Huntsman is speaking of ethics and integrity, fulfilling the public confidence.  He promises his "very best" to the citizens of Utah.  "Taking no risk is sometimes the biggest risk of all."  Governor Huntsman mentions that the information highway will take us where we cannot imagine.  He encourages us to embrace change in the name of a better tomorrow.  This is what will be the hallmark of his administration.  It will deliver innovative solutions to create jobs and improve the economy.  His proposals will not be based on political ambition.  He will use whatever political capital he posesses to benefit the state.  He states he will be satisfied if our students have more money for books and our teachers are better paid.  Capital, monetary or political, is to be used to benefit others. Utahns are linked to the past and to the future.  Our state must be a leader in biotech, communications, and hi-tech among other things. (that is good, something I really want to support)  His desire is to create an unprecedented era of community building and cooperation.  (also good, something that can be supported by technology) Governor Huntsman's inaugural address can be viewed in its entirety on KSL. Jon Huntsman Jr. with wife Mary Kaye listen to national anthem Jon Huntsman Jr. receives oath of office from Supreme Court Justice Christine Durham Incoming Governor Huntsman recognizes outgoing Governor Walker's contributions Gary Herbert sworn in as Lt. Governor Utah National Guard honors Jon Huntsman Jr. with a 19-gun salute Mark Shurtleff takes oath of office as Utah's Attorney General LDS Church Y2K Coordinator John Horton was among those in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing at the inauguration The Choir concudes with a stirring rendition of America the Beautiful 12:19:03 PM    comment []

It's a New Year! Today's inauguration will be held at Abravanel Hall due to ongoing reconstruction of the Capitol And with the new year comes a new governor here in Utah.  Jon Huntsman, Jr. will be inaugurated today at Abravanel Hall.  You can watch the inauguration live at 12:00 noon Mountain time on Utah.gov.  I am excited to see what happens.  Governor Huntsman is one of eight incoming governors if you include Aribal Acevedo of  Puerto Rico.  Acevedo was sworn in yesterday, Huntsman and Brian Schweitzer of  Montana will be sworn in today.  Here's the schedule for the rest. I love what Puerto Rico has done to formalize the transition process on the web.  Each agency has prepared reports on their accomplishments, human resources, etc. in a structured way for the transition. The Seattle PI has some interesting comments on Gary Locke's legacy as governor of Washington: "Many of Locke's achievements are arcane or reactive: a "digital government" system that's reputedly one of the nation's best, a built-from-scratch budget-writing process, success helping to dissuade The Boeing Co. from moving production of its next line of aircraft to another state" (why is digital government arcane?) Under his watch, Washington has repeatedly been judged one of the best-managed states by public policy magazines, Locke said. Washington's official state Web site earned it top rankings, he said. US Politics Today summarizes the news about Governor Huntsman. Government Technology mentions Utah's UWIN under highlighted projects of 2004. Sabrina Pacifici mentions this interesting memo from Pew on the State of Blogging in 2004. 8:28:48 AM    comment []

IT Centralization on the Missouri Agenda An article in Government Technology touts the accomplishments of Western Governors University.  The online school doubled its enrollment in 2004.  Park City now maps all kinds of crime and police incidents, including your parking ticket! Bonj is discussing IT centralization.  It looks like the new Missouri governor is going to push that agenda.  At the same time, he mentions that Connecticut's governor has called for  a permanent halt to IT centralization in that state.  That is after the state flirted with major outsourcing.  It will be interesting to track changes coming in other states as new governors move into place.  I will be particularly interested in Indiana where Republican Mitch Daniels takes the reins and Washington where it looks like Christine Gregoire is the winner after a third recount.  Gregoire was a spam-fighter as attorney general and takes over a state with a strong reputation in information technology.  Here's an interesting take on the Washington situation. 8:15:26 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2005 David Fletcher.