April 5, 2013

News

Privatized Water Systems More Costly Than Loans. In these deals, the private company will give the local government what is effectively an upfront loan for control of the water system, while ratepayers, not the municipality, are expected to repay the loan through rate increases and other fees. “Water system concession contracts are a new form of predatory lending, targeting cash-strapped, financially desperate cities and towns,” said Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter. “Because they do nothing to address the source of budget problems, long-term water system leases just use fiscal smoke and mirrors to obscure them, transferring a municipality’s money woes to local taxpayers through rate increases.” eNews Park Forest

IL: Economic development privatization plan hit. The state’s top economic development official told lawmakers on Thursday that legislation calling for privatizing some functions of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity would increase bureaucracy and diminish accountability. Chicago Tribune

OH: Opponents of parking plan deliver petition. City Council approved a measure to outsource the city’s parking. The plan would give he city $92 million up front and $3 million year. However, a group of citizens filed a lawsuit against the city and Judge Robert Winkler granted a permanent injunction to stop the city from moving forward with the plan. The citizens want the issue on the November ballot and circulated a petition.  Fox19

TX: Bill would give sheriff power — again — to veto jail privatization. After more than a year of studying whether to privatize the Harris County jail, staff concluded that “the potential benefit is not sufficient reason to make a change at this time.” That’s according to a confidential Feb. 11 memo, obtained by the Chronicle, that said that farming out management of the state’s largest lockup to a private operator would not only be risky, but might not save much money. Houston Chronicle

CA: Los Angeles Is for Sale… Dirt Cheap! Mayor Villaraigosa thinks the private owners would do a better job of making money off the zoo, and he’s probably right. They’re not exactly raking in the merch money with sales pitches like this one that I sincerely heard for plush animals: “Bring some meaning into your life with a monkey, a snake, or an alligator!” And they have people passing out Raisin Bran-commercial-style scoops of kettle corn (or as the kids at the zoo call it: “ammunition”) for free, rather than making like Krispy Kreme and pumping the aroma into everyone’s faces. VICE

CA: City Mngr Files Suit Against Trash Privatization Opponents. KMJ News has learned exclusively that Fresno City Manager Mark Scott has filed a lawsuit alleging that opponents of privatizing residential trash pick-up are making misleading and false statements in their ballot arguments. KMJ Now

LA: Voters growing tired of Jindal’s politics, report says. The poll also found opposition to privatizing the state hospital system, one of the Jindal administration’s moves. Opelousas Daily World

April 4, 2013

News

NH: New Hampshire drops bid to privatize state’s prisons. The state announced yesterday that it has dropped its bid to privatize the state’s prisons because none of the four companies that wanted the job showed they could meet court-ordered requirements for inmate care. The private prison companies also proposed wages and benefits that are half what security staff at the prisons earn now, according to two reports on the bids released yesterday by the state Department of Administrative Services and Department of Corrections. Concord Monitor

WI: Educator Who Challenged Scott Walker’s Vouchers Agenda Wins 61-39 in Wisconsin. When Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker announced that he would use his upcoming budget to expand private-school voucher programs, even some Republican legislators objected. But the loudest objection to Walker’s approach, and to the broader national push to shift taxpayer dollars away from public education and toward private experiments, came from Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers. “This has to stop,” he said. “The state cannot continue to play favorites. We can and must meet our constitutional obligation to invest in all of our kids.” Today’s election offered voters a crystal clear choice between two very different philosophies about education,” the superintendent declared on election night.  OpedNews

VA: Pro ports privatization group accused of campaign finance violation. A group that produced robocalls promoting the now-sunk port privatization efforts was accused of campaign finance violations by a watchdog group in Washington for election-season TV ads in Ohio. CBEG put out two robocalls — one that slammed former Virginia International Terminals CEO and president Joe Dorto as overpaid, and one that characterized the privatization plan as an effort of Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell.. But a year earlier the group bought at least $896,000-worth of TV ads slamming President Barack Obama and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.  Daily Press

PA: Corbett’s continued lottery privatization pursuit is robbing seniors, Democratic senator says. Sen. Mike Stack, D-Philadelphia, calls Gov. Tom Corbett’s lottery management privatization effort “the worst example of government waste.” Stack was reacting to a Pennlive report about the Corbett administration’s spending at least $2.85 million so far on consultants who have assisted it with exploring the idea of privatizing the management of the Pennsylvania Lottery. PennLive

NE: Board of Regents hires consulting firm to help with health center privatization. The University of Nebraska Board of Regents has hired Deloitte consulting to answer its questions about Chancellor Harvey Perlman’s proposed plan to privatize student health care at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Since Perlman presented his privatization plan to the community, health center employees have jumped ship, seeking employment at other areas around campus to maintain benefits or simply seeking work elsewhere. Roughly a dozen employees have left the health center, including a couple physicians, the lead pharmacist, marketing coordinator and insurance coordinator. Daily Nebraskan

Occupy the Department Of Education Returns to DC. Liberal education luminaries including Diane Ravitch, a former assistant education secretary, and Central Park East schools guru Deborah Meier, will be in Washington as part of a four-day “Occupy the Department of Education” event organized by United Optout, a group that came together last year in the flurry of other Occupy Wall Street events. They’ll be part of non-stop speechmaking from teachers, educators, students, and parents, decrying such things as high-stakes testing and the move towards privatizing public education. Mother Jones

 

 

April 3, 2013

News

TN: Crucible of Change in Memphis as State Takes On Failing Schools. Most of the schools will be run by charter operators. All will emphasize frequent testing and data analysis. Many are instituting performance pay for teachers and longer school days, and about a fifth of the new district’s recruits come from Teach for America.  New York Times

LA: Civil Service panel approves hospital outsourcing. A Gov. Bobby Jindal administration plan to outsource the health care services provided by LSU’s public hospital in Baton Rouge received approval Tuesday from the state Civil Service Commission, paving the way for employee layoffs. San Francisco Chronicle

MS: Bill would allow private contracts for Miss. DHS. The Mississippi House on Tuesday passed the final version of a bill to let the Department of Human Services hire private contractors to collect overdue child support. But lawmakers said House Bill 1009 would not stop at child support collections. Opponents said the bill is so broadly written that it would allow DHS to privatize a wide range of its duties. Seattle Post Intelligencer

NY: Washington County workers getting laid off in trash privatization. More than 200 additional county employees face layoffs this year as the county moves toward privatizing Pleasant Valley nursing home and most of the Public Health Department. Post Star

Fitch: Virginia Port Decision May Hurt Other Privatizations. Virginia Port Authority’s decision to discontinue negotiations with two potential lessors of its ocean terminals may create negative momentum for other large port privatization projects because of the length of the negotiation, the strong brand names of the bidders, and the meaningful pricing that was considered. It would have been the first privatization of a major U.S. port facility. In our view, the privatization of smaller, individual terminals is less likely to be affected. Fort Mills Times

Will charter schools survive the charter movement?. Just as states across the country are ramping up efforts to increase the number of charters, loosen government regulations of these schools and transfer accountability responsibilities from local boards and education administrative bodies to charter enthusiasts, proponents of charter schools are calling for tougher oversight of these schools that would result in many more of them being closed down. Washington Post

April 2, 2013

News

Traffic Cameras Draw More Scrutiny by States. Critics of photo enforcement often paint a picture of government overreach. Though drivers can appeal their tickets, some claim the cameras violate the constitutional right to face their accuser. Others say they are an invasion of privacy. Many contend that local governments — as well as the companies that manufacture and maintain the equipment, some in exchange for a percentage of the revenue rather than a flat fee — are more interested in money than in safety, pointing to studies indicating that the cameras may actually cause accidents. New York Times

OH: Cincinnati Parking Privatization Must Go to Vote. A Cincinnati plan to privatize parking to close a municipal budget gap must be put to a public referendum, an Ohio state court judge ruled, blocking the initiative. The proposal calls for the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority to take charge of street spaces for 30 years and those off street for 50 years, with the ability to subcontract their management. In exchange, the authority would pay Cincinnati $92 million now and an estimated $3 million annually for 30 years. Bloomberg

NC: Charlotte-region economic developers: Careful with privatizing NC Commerce. N.C. Secretary of Commerce Sharon Decker’s recent talk of privatizing her department has Charlotte-region economic developers raising concerns. In his Monday Memo email, Ronnie Bryant, president and chief executive of the Charlotte Regional Partnership, hints that wholesale moves in the privatizing direction may be ill-advised.  Charlotte Business Journal

MI: Commission rejects union appeal, upholds privatization of nursing aid jobs. The Michigan Civil Service Commission has rejected union appeals and upheld the privatization of about 150 nursing aide jobs at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. At the hearing, veterans and state workers testified that more than 600 veterans who live at the home are endangered by low staffing levels and inadequate care under the contractor, J2S Group. The contract workers are paid about $10 an hour, roughly half what the state workers were paid, and J2S has had problems filling full-time positions and retaining employees, officials confirmed. Detroit Free Press

MI: Commission upholds privatization at veterans’ home. A state commission has rejected union appeals and upheld the privatization of about 150 nursing aide jobs at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans as part of a cost-cutting effort. The Michigan Civil Service Commission heard two appeals from Michigan AFSCME Council 25 last month in Lansing. According to information released Monday, the commission upheld the decision to privatize the jobs. San Francisco Chronicle           

PA: Corbett’s lottery privatization tab for consultants nears $3 million. Senior citizens may stand to pay a substantial cost in lost services if Gov. Tom Corbett’s effort to privatize the Pennsylvania Lottery’s management goes nowhere. Already, the costs of the consultants hired to assist the Corbett administration in that endeavor exceed $2.85 million, said Elizabeth Brassell, a spokeswoman for the Department of Revenue, which oversees the lottery. PennLive.com

PA: Hearing planned on state liquor system privatization. The privatization of the state liquor store system will be the subject of a public hearing Tuesday. Scranton Times-Tribune           

NE:  After privatization, Bryan Health turns University Health Center into morgue. When University of Nebraska-Lincoln junior English major Mike Jones walked into the University Health Center Friday afternoon, he was met with a surprise. UHC, which recently came under the control of Bryan Health, had become a morgue. “I needed to go to the health center to see if I had mono,” Jones said. “But the lady at the front desk told me they’d only be able to serve me if mono eventually killed me.” The health center “revamp,” according to Bryan Health officials, was a cost-saving measure. Daily Nebraskan

How a contracting official scammed more than $30M. Until recently, Army Corps of Engineers program manager Kerry Khan had millions of dollars, mistresses in three states and a taste for high-end cars and liquor, according to court records.  Federal Times

 

 

 

April 1, 2013

News

So you want to privatize Medicaid? Has HHS got a guide for you. States have lots of questions about whether they can use Medicaid expansion dollars to buy private insurance coverage, the so-called Arkansas option. Washington Post

CA: Editorial: Resurrecting California’s Public Universities. Even before the recession hit, the public colleges and universities that educate more than 70 percent of the nation’s students were suffering from dwindling state revenue. Their response, not surprisingly, was to raise tuition, slash course offerings and, in some cases, freeze or even reduce student enrollment. The damage was acute in California, whose once-glorious system of higher education effectively cannibalized itself, shutting out a growing number of well-qualified students. New York Times

MA: Massachusetts Public-Private Partnerships: Time to Prime the Pump. This week, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick appointed four members to the Special Public-Private Partnership Infrastructure Oversight Commission (the Commission), thereby accelerating the prospect that Massachusetts may be willing to enter into agreements with private institutions to build, operate or manage some of the Commonwealth’s transportation assets.  The National Law Review

MA: Maryland lawmakers consider public-private partnerships. A Maryland Senate panel is moving along a measure that would allow public-private partnerships, which give private companies power over roads, schools and public transit in exchange for less upfront taxpayer investment. Washington Business Journal (blog)

PA: Liquor privatization bill could face stiff test in Pa. Senate. State Sen. Sean Wiley, of Millcreek Township, D-49th Dist., has his doubts that the Senate will adopt privatization, saying that he and 25 other Democratic and Republican senators are co-sponsoring a bill to modernize — not privatize — the system. GoErie.com

IL: School-closings controversy needs some reality checks. But while we’re at it, let’s also pretend that the charter and school-privatization movement isn’t contributing to the struggles of conventional public schools. Chicago Tribune

LA: La. Gov. Jindal’s health secretary resigns as probes continue into Medicaid contract. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s health secretary and close ally, Bruce Greenstein, is resigning amid ongoing state and federal investigations into the awarding of a Medicaid contract to a company where Greenstein once worked, officials said Friday….Greenstein’s resignation leaves Jindal without the chief defender of his opposition to the Medicaid expansion under the federal health care law, as state lawmakers are pushing against the rejection. It also removes from ongoing negotiations the architect of the Jindal administration’s efforts to privatize the LSU-run public hospitals that care for the poor and uninsured and that train many of Louisiana’s medical students. Washington Post

OK: Oklahoma: Lottery proposal passes House committee. The bill proposes to look at privatizing the Oklahoma Lottery among, although initially it merely calls for an analysis of the proposal, the report said. Casino City Times

 

 

March 29, 2013

News

OH: Cincinnati Parking Privatization Must Go to Vote. A Cincinnati plan to privatize parking to close a municipal budget gap must be put to a public referendum, an Ohio state court judge ruled, blocking the initiative. The proposal calls for the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority to take charge of street spaces for 30 years and those off street for 50 years, with the ability to subcontract their management. In exchange, the authority would pay Cincinnati $92 million now and an estimated $3 million annually for 30 years. Six Cincinnati residents sued, challenging a city council decision earlier this month to confer “emergency” status on the enabling ordinance, which the lawmakers said exempted it from being put to a public vote.  Bloomberg

NC: North Carolina Considers ALEC Model Bill to Privatize Schools. Now that North Carolina is completely in the control of Republicans, the state is moving forward with ALEC model legislation intended to remove public oversight from charter schools. This is the next step toward full privatization of the public school system in North Carolina, with a goal to move toward this model nationwide. Crooks and Liars

ME: Editorial: Inflating schools’ woes eases path to privatization. Gov. Paul LePage’s education reform conference in Augusta last week made one thing clear: The governor is less interested in improving public schools than in replacing them. They would still be public in the sense that they would be financed with the public’s money, but the education would be delivered outside what most people consider public school systems.  Morning Sentinel

CA: Orange County Experiments With Privatizing Ambulance Service. For the first time, private paramedics were deployed last week in Orange County to transfer patients between health facilities, a move that instantly generated ideological controversy and questions about quality….The Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, the union that represents firefighters for the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) in 23 jurisdictions, filed a letter that day with the county demanding the new paramedic service be halted. The letter argued its creation violated county and state policies and law. VoiceofOC

IL: Chicago’s Unfair School Closings Will Gut Remaining Supports for Kids. This is about privatizing of one of the last few public assets in America: public education. Advocates of privatization have grabbed up just about every public institution imaginable: electric and telephone utilities, parks, housing, even our highways. Now we are witnessing an overt effort by players like the Walton Family Foundation — the wealthy heirs of Walmart’s founder — to hand over public schools to the private sector. Huffington Post

 

 

March 28, 2013

News

With Vouchers, States Shift Aid for Schools to Families. A growing number of lawmakers across the country are taking steps to redefine public education, shifting the debate from the classroom to the pocketbook. Instead of simply financing a traditional system of neighborhood schools, legislators and some governors are headed toward funneling public money directly to families, who would be free to choose the kind of schooling they believe is best for their children, be it public, charter, private, religious, online or at home. Critics of the programs see money being taken out of public school systems at a time when resources are already strained.  New York Times

D.C. school facilities plan considers charters for the first time. Along with investing in certain high-need neighborhoods, the plan recommends upgrading the main entrance of every school and sharing half-empty District facilities with charters and community organizations. The decision to avoid specifics is a sign that city officials are grappling with unanswered questions about how to plan for the coexistence of traditional and charter schools. The 2013 facilities plan is the first in the city’s history to consider charters, the taxpayer-funded, independently run public schools that have grown quickly in recent years and now enroll more than 40 percent of the city’s students.  Washington Post

OK: Oklahoma Lottery privatization proposal advances through House committee. A proposal that could lead to privatization of the Oklahoma Lottery eased through a House committee on Wednesday despite reservations about its ultimate feasibility. Tulsa World

VA: Virginia Port Authority will not privatize operations. The proposal to privatize operations at the Port of Virginia ran into widespread opposition by many with port-related jobs who worried that a company would look out for its own interests above that of the people of Virginia and that a private operator would unfairly discriminate against competitors. Richmond Times Dispatch

TX: Students and staff voice opposition to committee’s cost-cutting recommendations. The plan, released Jan. 29 and titled “Smarter Systems for a Greater UT,” proposes cost hikes on food, housing and other services, employee cutbacks and increased uses of assets like UT’s power plant, which it claims could create a combined $490 million for the University. …Lewis said she is afraid that housing, food and parking will be privatized, a possibility that the committee raised in its report. Should they be privatized, Lewis said, employees would suffer and so would service. “We really believe there’s some very big questions about the quality of service [for students] given the profit model operating in what is a nonprofit institution,” she said. UT The Daily Texan

 

March 27, 2013

News

IN: Ind. school voucher ruling could influence others. The Indiana Supreme Court on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 upheld the law creating the nation’s broadest school voucher program, clearing the way for a possible expansion. In a 5-0 vote, the justices rejected claims that the law primarily benefited religious institutions that run private schools and accepted arguments that it gave families choice and allowed parents to determine where the money went.  San Francisco Chronicle

IL: Chicago Parking Meters LLC, Parasitic “Business”. The company essentially paid the city a $1.1 billion bribe for a 75-year-long monopoly on a publicly-owned resource. The streets where Chicagoans park are maintained with public funds, and the company’s monopoly is enforced by the Chicago Police Department, which tickets delinquent drivers. Chicago Parking Meters is free to extract excessive tolls from the public because it has no competition — no one else can charge money for parking on Chicago streets. It’s a parasitic, not a productive, enterprise, because it stands to extract $11 billion in fees over the life of its lease — money that otherwise would have gone into the city’s treasury. Even more than that, Chicago Parking Meters is damaging businesses by charging more for parking than drivers would have to pay in the suburbs. NBC Chicago

IL: Editorial: Privatizing development agency a bad idea. Privatizing any state agency would put another barrier between taxpayers and an agency that is supposed to serve them. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where a private state economic development agency would benefit taxpayers. Illinois government needs more sunshine, not less. Bloomington Pantagraph

VA: Virginia Port Authority will not privatize most of its port operations. The Virginia Port Authority on Tuesday rejected two offers worth billions of dollars to privatize the operations of the state’s coastal terminals, choosing to keep and restructure the port’s current operator instead. Washington Post

LA: Inmate Suit Against Private Prison. A man on pre-trial detention at a LaSalle Management Prison in Claiborne Parish has been in solitary since June 6, 2012 and repeatedly Maced by guards, he claims in Federal Court.  Courthouse News

IN: OPINION: Education reform industry targets Twin Cities. Murdoch is part of a growing list of corporate executives who see schools as profit centers. The education reform industry and their privatization efforts that have virtually destroyed the public education systems in Chicago, Philadelphia and New Orleans have been quietly, and not so quietly, targeting the Twin Cities. Twin Cities Daily Planet

 

March 26, 2013

News

NJ: Gov. Announces Privatizing Scheme For Camden City Schools. Governor Chris Christie has announced a state takeover of the Camden school system to force privatization programs. The privatization program had been stymied by residents and their local representatives who did not want to lose their public school system. Now privatization advocates have been able to go around local authorities and have the Governor hand them power. Firedoglake

NJ: Opinion: NJ Lottery privatization: Oversight needed. Even more to the point: If privatizing these lottery functions is such a good deal for the state, why won’t the administration allow the state treasurer to testify about the plan before the Legislature? Press of Atlantic City           

VA: Va Port Authority to vote on whether to privatize port operations. The authority’s board of commissioners is scheduled to vote on the issue Tuesday.The authority received an unsolicited bid from APM Terminals last spring to privatize most of its port operations, taking over the job that has been done by Virginia International Terminals Inc. for the past 30 years. A group headed by JP Morgan Chase & Co. is also a contender in the process seeking a long-term lease of port facilities. The companies say their proposals are worth billions of dollars. Washington Post

VA: Editorial: Road repairs show lack of oversight. The most visible push for privatization in the commonwealth can be seen on our roads, where maintenance and construction have usually gone to the lowest bidder. But privatization pushes have begun dominating the balance sheets of government at every level, from federal security in Baghdad to School Board offices in Suffolk. Recent episodes on the highways of Hampton Roads show that privatization doesn’t necessarily save money; in fact, it can be much more expensive. The Virginian-Pilot

FL: Lawmakers grapple with future of special needs students. A provision that would allow parents to contract with private therapists during school hours is also drawing ire; some observers see it as an attempt to further the school-privatization agenda. “This usurps the power of the schools at the most basic level,” said Kathleen Oropeza, of the Orlando-based parent group, Fund Education Now. “Can you imagine a class of 15 [special-education] kids with 15 hired consultants in the classroom?” Miami Herald

SC: SC state worker numbers continue to dwindle. State lawmakers have cut the state’s work force by 15 percent over the past 13 years, a result of budget cuts and state agencies relying more on private companies to provide public services. The State

IL: Chicago man starts petition drive against new Ventra fare-payment card. Chicagoan Jacquie Brave compared the Ventra deal, which effectively turns over CTA fare-collection duties to private-sector companies, to the unpopular parking-meter privatization that former Mayor Richard M. Daley pushed through the City Council. “This is deja vu all over again,” Brave said in an email to Getting Around, adding, “The Ventra deal smells just as rotten.” Orlando Sentinel

 

 

March 25, 2013

News

GA: Privatization mandate likely to be dropped from MARTA bill. The options Jacobs cites are several unrelated Senate bills that he’s amended to include his MARTA language. For his scheme to succeed, however, the Senate would need to agree to his amendments. To clear that hurdle, Jacobs seems resigned to dropping the most contentious measure from his legislation: a provision to force the transit agency to privatize a number of key functions, including human resources and technical support. “We would bring it back next year,” he says of the privatization mandate. Atlanta Magazine

TX: Fort Worth mayor, council explore privatizing some water services. A recently appointed Water Utility Task Force will explore ways for the city of Fort Worth to reduce water costs, including the possibility that some water services or management may be privatized. The city said it is reviewing a number of different departments but that the water department –– with more than 900 employees –– was the only one big enough to warrant a task force and outside evaluation. WFAA

ME: Maine Voices: Highway privatization law compromises public oversight of Maine roads. In 2010, with little public notice or opportunity for public comment, Maine enacted a highway privatization statute written by and for Maine’s asphalt lobby: Cianbro Corp., Maria Fuentes of the Maine Better Transportation Association and John Melrose, former Department of Transportation commissioner. There are three bills active in the Legislature to “fix” various elements of our hurriedly written, poorly vetted privatization statute, but the action that is appropriate is outright repeal. Press Herald

VA: Companies estimate value to Virginia of privatization bids. The Virginia Port Authority board will choose Tuesday whether to step up negotiations of one or two proposals to privatize state-run ocean terminals. Daily Press

PA: What Tom Corbett has to give up to get liquor privatization. Corbett’s under increasing public pressure — now from fellow Republicans — to do something about Medicaid. And with the Guv searching for a policy win headed into 2014 (and booze would be a serious feather), allowing a limited form of Medicaid expansion after getting concessions from D.C., might just be the ticket to get him what he wants. PennLive

PA: Pennsylvania Study Finds Halfway Houses Don’t Reduce Recidivism. The study by the Pennsylvania Corrections Department found that 67 percent of inmates sent to halfway houses were rearrested or sent back to prison within three years, compared with 60 percent of inmates who were released to the streets. The study examined 38 privately run and 14 state-run halfway houses. The results for both categories were discouraging, said Mr. Wetzel, the state corrections chief. New York Times

CA: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pushes to privatize LA Zoo, Convention Center. With less than 100 days left in his term, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is making one last big push on two of his signature proposals – privatizing operations at the Convention Center and the Los Angeles Zoo. The city’s unions, meantime, oppose the proposals and know time is on their side. They are trying simply to delay the matters until after July 1, when a new mayor and City Council will be sworn in. Los Angeles Daily News

OH: Cincinnati plan to privatize parking sparks backlash. But critics, including a consumer watchdog group, call the arrangement an indirect tax increase. Others say city leaders pushed the deal through too quickly. They are skeptical of selling public parking to balance the city budget. And they fear higher costs will discourage people from coming downtown, which is experiencing a renaissance. Plain Dealer

NC: Decker: I’m looking at privatizing N.C. Commerce Dept.. N.C. Secretary of Commerce Sharon Decker outlined the concept of transforming the state Commerce Department into essentially a private marketing and sales organization. She also raised the possibility that the regional partnership organizations might not survive.  The Business Journal