Archives: Jon Russell / Articles
Archives: Jon Russell / Articles
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The Unseen Hand of NIMS in Communities
Building Government Los Angeles City Hall Hall State and local governments are the frontline of defense against the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, And, we haven’t been sitting idly by, we’ve been…
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A Brief Etymology of Local Regulations
In America’s early days, until the progressive era of the early 1900’s, city councils were a place where liberty was modeled by elected officials. We aren’t talking libertarian utopia,…
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Virginia Begins to Dismantle Dillon’s Rule
Today the Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee took an historic vote today by passing Senate Bill (SB) 35; giving municipalities the ability to ban firearms at public events. SB35 is…
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Virginia to Redefine Relationship with Localities..On Some Issues
With the recent passage of Second Amendment Sanctuary resolutions or Constitutional resolutions in more than 95 communities in Virginia, people want to know what these resolutions do. To answer that…
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May Day for Business
May Day for Business With emergency stay at home orders and business closure orders for Covid19 in every state, local law makers find themselves balancing a tight rope between…
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American City County Exchange: Policy Prescriptions to Address Economic and Health Care Challenges in the Face of COVID-19
COVID-19 presents challenges to city and county officials nationwide. The American City and County Exchange presents a possible solution to address federal regulations during this pandemic. An Ordinance for…
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Individual Liberty Over Localism
As a town councilman in conservative central Virginia, I have to say my colleagues are nice people, but I don’t trust them to create new regulations and new taxes. As…
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What Happened to Minimal Regulations?
As food sharing becomes wildly popular, government is once again finding itself operating in a 1970’s construct of regulations and refusing to change with the times.
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Philadelphia Embraces Discriminatory Taxation
"This is not the narrative that had been told to the public."
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High Court Sides with State on Preemption
Further underscoring the fact that local governments are political subdivisions whose powers derive from the state, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that local governments cannot ban fracking of any type. The court found that while both cities Ft. Collins and Longmont are Home Rule cities, Home Rule does not give them the right to act as independent agents of the state law.
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Will Flint officials adopt a competitive bidding process to fix their pipes?
Federal disaster relief for Flint Michigan’s water contamination could exceed one billion tax dollars before all is said and done. As that money is being dispersed to solve Flint’s water contamination, what steps are being taken to ensure this money is being used wisely? How are the taxpayers going to be reassured that this money is not going into the pockets of pet projects and crony capitalists?
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KY Judge Rules Against 10th Amendment and Local Right Work
If local governments have been granted the power to pass local right-to-work by their respective states, the federal government has no say how those powers are delegated.
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Video: Friedrichs Supporters Stand for Free Speech
On Monday morning, ALEC staff gathered with teachers, parents, legislators and grassroots leaders on the steps of the Supreme Court to support Rebecca Friedrichs, a California teacher who is fighting…
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Big Government Can Now Choose Your Neighbors and Property Value
The Omnibus budget bill contains a laundry list of items being funded, which continue the failed big government policies of the federal government. One of the most egregious items is…
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Missouri Judge Upholds State Minimum Wage Law
Good news for small business owners and their employees in St. Louis. Judge Steven Ohmer of the 22nd Circuit overturned an attempt by the city of St. Louis to mandate…
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American City County Exchange (ACCE) Second Annual Meeting a Success
The 2nd Annual Meeting of the American City County Exchange (ACCE) has come to a successful conclusion. In attendance were local elected officials from almost half of the states in…
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Preemption Laws Provide Backstop for Localized Progressive Politics
Local governments play an important role within states, but not to the detriment of the taxpayers. Unfortunately, local governments have become victims of far left organizations manipulating the public and…
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Pipe dream? Review pipe procurement policies to keep taxpayer money from going down the drain
This op-ed originally appeared in the March 2015 edition of Public Works Magazine. When city councils look for ways to save money, they often don’t think to look…
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The Need for Better Stewardship over the Money Government Spends
This appeared on Governing.com on October 2, 2014. When a water main breaks in your town, what does the local government do? Other than responding to the break…
