A restructuring we went.

Today was day two of the meeting of the Government Restructuring Task Force. I didn't write about day one because it was so discouraging and I really didn't have the heart.

Day two was only slightly more encouraging.

The Task Force is running smoothly due to the efforts of its Chair; Senator Tim Eichenberg and a facilitator. (By way of disclosure, Mark Bralley and I invited the Senator to join us for lunch during the break in day one. He joined us, and then kindly paid for the lunch).

"Smoothly" has nothing to do with direction, and it is the direction being taken by the Task Force that gives me pause. My sense is that they want to identify and correct all the inefficiencies in state government themselves; an impossible task.

The approach I advocate is, restructure state government so that government itself, ferrets out and corrects inefficiencies on a continuous basis. It is the difference between putting fires out and preventing them.

I took the opportunity to address the Task Force during the public forums at the end of each meeting. I encouraged them to reach more deeply to begin their restructuring and, to have something that voters can look at before the November elections. I have also asked that defining the limits on transparency be put on the table for open and honest discussion. I consider it to be a fundamental reform/restructuring issue, a view not yet adopted by the Task Force.

Eichenberg has assured us that there will be opportunities for public input at every meeting of the task force. He has been very good about posting on line, all documents they are using, so there is public access to them.

One of those documents is called; Inventory of Statutory Executive Boards and Commissions. It is 315 pages long, which should give you an inkling of the bloat in state government.

As disappointing as the progress is, more disappointing is the fact that the Task Force is being ignored by the political press; legacy and otherwise. It would be difficult to overemphasis the importance and potential of this Task Force, yet no one knows about it because it is not being reported to stakeholders.

Gadi Schwartz KOB TV, was there, but only for a few minutes. No other "legacy" press attended as far as I could tell.

The next meetings will be in late June.