PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

Why is it that, when there is a job to be done or an assignment to take, Democrats usually advocate adding a new government position?

The option would be to assign current government managers new priorities.

There have been two examples of this recently.

One was when Governor Kate Brown, D-Oregon, announced that she would create an “education innovation officer” to inject innovation into the higher education realm.

What?

Why not specify a definition for innovation, then EXPECT it of current higher education managers?

Leaders of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) in Oregon were surprised by Governor Brown’s new position. At least it would have been logical for the HECC to have been consulted so its members wouldn’t have had to read about the plans in the media.

The second example involves President Barack Obama who is in his last year in office as a two-term Democrat president.

He says he’s creating a new federal position — “chief information security officer” — to inject additional security into federal technology enterprises.

Again, wouldn’t it have been better simply to assign current managers to increase security precautions?

To these two examples, I say this: Leaders should show leadership by assigning current government managers to emphasize supposedly new areas of involvement – innovation in Oregon’s higher education policy and security in the federal government’s technology policy.

Of course, it also would be possible to suggest that those goals – innovation and security – should be undertaken by the appropriate government managers without having to create new positions.  This could produce better government.