Most portrayals of him have focused upon his unconventional appeal. His lack of ideological sharp elbows combined with a nearly chronic obsession with parsimony has made him a subject of political intrigue —he’s just not like other political creatures.
For several decades, public innovators have wrestled with privatization and using competition to bring better quality and value into government operations. Many efforts stand or fall on the abilities and commitment of individual public managers here and there, but system-wide outsourcing often proves difficult to achieve.
Seven minutes. It was astounding when Michael Phelps and his American freestyle relay team broke the seven-minute mark to win the gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Indiana had a $700 million deficit at the start of 2005 and a $2 billion surplus by end of 2012. During this seven-year stretch, America experienced the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. All across America, states were facing fiscal crises during this period, but not Indiana. Why?
When Mitch Daniels became Governor in 2004, you could travel the entire 157 miles of Indiana’s toll road, which spans the northern part of the state, for $4.65. If you think that sounds like a pretty good deal, you’d be right.
Before Mitch Daniels was elected Governor in 2004, Indiana was in the midst of trends toward building more prisons, increasing corrections spending, and yet an increasing recidivism rate among inmates. The Indiana Department of Corrections (DOC) was in dire need of major reforms.
When Mitch Daniels was elected, Indiana ranked 40th in the nation in broadband deployment. Only 18 percent of households had broadband access.
As a disciplined fiscal conservative, Mitch Daniels gained a national reputation for insisting that every cent of every taxpayer dollar be managed rigorously. As Governor, he frequently spoke of the duty of elected leaders to remember that the citizens who put them in office are also ultimately the ones paying their salaries.
Mitch Daniels has achieved national recognition for his fiscal discipline. It’s well-known that Indiana was elevated to a AAA rating under his leadership, and that the state was busily racking up a surplus during the Great Recession while other state budgets around the country were cratering.
Grim doesn’t even begin to describe the fiscal nightmare at all levels of government. The silver lining? The daunting fiscal reality is forcing a reexamination of every aspect of public sector operations.