Last Day

April 2 was my last day on the internship. I really enjoyed working there. I couldn't have asked for better co-workers: they all taught me how to be a professional and take what I learned in class and apply it to the real world. I have thus far in my life only worked in the private sector, and I thought that working in the public arena would be the same-- but it's really not. I don't know how to explain it-- there's more protocol, I guess.

For my last day they all took me out to "the Turf"-- a very delicious Irish restaurant that is right by campus. I got a lot of cards, and a plaque!-- didn't see the plaque coming.

I really enjoyed this experience, and I want to thank DDO and ASU for giving me the opportunity.

Downtown ASU

I remember my first day on the Downtown Campus. I was so excited (and surprised) to see how new and high-tech everything is. In fact, I was surprised by the cleanliness of the Downtown area as a whole. Thus, you can't imagine my horror when I was introduced to the Tempe campus-- seriously, would it kill you to wipe down the computer areas...just once? Or maybe pick up the old pizza boxes in the library? I guess that's what you get when you move from a private university to a public one (sorry, I don't mean to sound stuck up, but the change is dramatic). Anyway, I love the Downtown campus. It's convenient, it's pretty, and it really mirrors the vibrancy of downtown Phoenix.

As part of my internship I was able to see all of the benefits Downtown ASU offers its residents. DDO and others really put a lot of work into ensuring the Downtown campus was going to be a safe, and cool place for students. Part of their plans are, of course, Taylor place which will open up a new hall. Apparently, the dining hall is receiving a lot of traffic from people that work in the Downtown area-- thus, not leaving a lot of room for students to come, eat, and relax. So Sub-committee is wondering what to do about this problem. Their plans also include revitalizing the post office-- I guess the top floor will be offices and I forgot what the bottom floor will be. Part of the project is also the park. I am not too sure how I feel about the giant jellyfish art-piece: I fear a lot of birds will loose their lives in that net, and I'm not too sure how many people will drive/walk by that and think it is art, but the poles that are lit at night are really cool. Some people on my team (at least two permanently, and the rest help when it is needed) are completely devoted to the development of ASU. The Council and the Mayor both believe that Downtown ASU is a great way to revitalize the area, and in truth, the chapters I am reading for Urban Economics support this claim-- the establishment of education centers is one of the most effective long-term strategies to sustain economic development. It was really neat to attend the ASU meetings and learn about all of the new projects...if only the money holds out.

EDA Grants

With the economy the way it is we are trying to get revenue through a variety of means. Taxation, for good reason, is not too popular, and state-shares will significantly decrease-- so local governments, out of necessity turn to other sources of revenue. Besides the good ol' stimulus package, we are researching how to get grant monies from the EDA. The EDA (Economic Development Administration) disperses grant money to cities who are trying to innovate and become more economically sustainable. The EDA's mission: "To lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy." I'm not too sure what all "agenda" entails. I'm too afraid to ask.

The City of Phoenix is currently eligible for three grants-- one of which just came out very recently. The "University Center Economic Development Program" disperses money to a university, or conglomerate of universities, for educational development. For example, Gateway Community College was awarded a 3 million dollar telescope. For DDO, we thought this could apply for a variety of programs, such as the ASU/UA nursing program, or some of the bio-tech schools, and so on. Furthermore, we (DDO) would be able to apply in behalf of ASU. The Application deadline is April 26. Another grant opportunity is the "Economic Development Assistance Programs" which is an open application (you can apply anytime) and helps municipalities/cities with general economic development. A new one just came out (no doubt as part of the whole stimulus deal) labeled "EDA's American Recovery Program." Hopefully, DDO will be able to get some grants! Some of the other grants, such as Disaster Relief (which has a substantial amount of money tied to it) we do not qualify for.

Sign Variance Meeting

Every time I am in class, or read a newspaper, or crack open a policy book, it astounds me how involved the government is in daily life. I am not saying it's overall bad -- it really depends on the situation. But, it always amazes me how often government determines the outcome for mundane, and even unnoticeable situations. Case in point: sign variance. I went to a meeting about people that want to place signs (on private property) that are not up to government regulations, or violate some sort of code. In order to put up any certain sign, you have to run it by the government. At least that is the case in Phoenix.

In the meeting, two particular cases caught my interest. The first was the ASU's downtown nursing building. A beautiful building. Downtown Voices, an activist group, thought the architecture of the building closed the development off to the citizens (I guess the main entrance is facing one direction, and the people believed it should be facing another direction to have the feeling it is more open to the public). In order to appease the citizens' demands, ASU created a new gateway to their facility, which would entail the canopy and the sign "ASU" to go over into the public-right-of-way. The motion was passed without any sort of controversy. Another group was a development company who owned office space next to the highway. They wanted to place a big sign (10 feet tall, and the maximum is 6 feet tall) for one of their renters who, they claimed, would not feel as inclined to rent out the office space if they could not have a larger sign. After going back and forth with the council (I thought he was going to loose, by the tone of the meeting) he was granted the sign permit, so long as his other renters did not demand signs as big.

I am not saying these outcomes are good or bad. It just blows my mind sometimes how much the government is involved. I guess it is necessary, in this case, because if people were allowed to set up signs as big as they wanted, then their neighbors would put up even bigger signs, and so on it would continue.

Reporting for the OCD nation...

Chris said anything...

So here it goes.

I think I am getting a little OCD.

I HATE, nay LOATHE listening to music through people's ear-phones. I am currently listening to Rihanna over and over again, from a guy that is at least 20 feet away from me. Now a new guy has come, sat right by me, and now I am listening to the joys of old Tupac tunes-- mixed with Rihanna- it's a shame Tupac is dead-- that combo would have been amazing.

To negate some of the sounds, I put on my ipod and am listening to Bach-- unfortunately, I hear my next door neighbor's abrasive beats over Italian Concerto in F. And my volume is almost all the way up. Oh, yeah, guess where I am...

the library.

Do I have the right to shoot these two men dirty glares every five minutes?

In other OCD news. Sniffling. Can't really handle it after five minutes. For heavens sake, we are a remarkably well-developed nation. We have Kleenex. For those of you who want to be a little more eco-friendly, there's always the old invention "handkerchief."

Is it just me? Or are these normal reactions?

Being Affordable

The City of Phoenix has all sorts of contracts with residential properties. Part of the agreement, usually, is that since these properties are accepting GPLET, then they must provide so many units of affordable housing. Affordable housing is considered 80% of the median income level (according to HUD). Some properties, because they are unaware or simply because they do not want to, fail to comply. Thus, the City has to check in with these developments once in a while to ensure they are preforming their part of the contract. If not, we tell them they must comply with the next vacancies.

Affordable Housing, as stated, is calculated by taking the average income level (according to HUD), which I think is about 33,000 (again, just a vague memory) and then take 80% of that, which I think is around $26,400. Thus, in order for a family to qualify for affordable housing, they cannot pull in more than that. Afterward, take 30% of $26,400, which is circa $800, and that is the maximum the family can pay for their apartment. Of course, the number of people in the family is taken into consideration-- legally, they have to. You cannot stick 5 people in a 1 bedroom apartment. Thus, residential developments on GPLET are typically expected to provide a certain percentage, or a set number of units, of affordable housing (it depends on what the contract states).

Part of my job as an intern was to help one of our Assistant Program Managers ensure one of the residential developments was in compliance with the law, which they were. Every step we took with this issue, we had to check with the City lawyer who is assigned to our department (her speciality is real estate law). Overall, the process was very enlightening, and very fulfilling. I tell you, I have learned a lot about legal processes through this internship-- I kinda feel like I have completed at least a semester at law school-- without having to deal with the egos, and all of the books, and the late-night studying-- alright, maybe it's nothing like law school, but I learned a lot.

Committee Meetings

I had the opportunity to go to two committee meetings. The first, at 10:00 am, was a sub-committee meeting held on the 12th floor. For those who don't know, each council member is in charge of a particular area (this one was for Downtown Development and Aviation), and three other councils members are also on the panel of the sub-committee. I really enjoyed it. My department was there for the way-finding signs (it looks like they decided on the plum color, by the way) and for an APS sub-station. I decided to stay the entire length of the meeting. While the way-finding signs were being pitched to the sub-committee, a gentleman got up and claimed the City did not do due diligence to his client's (he was the lawyer of the client) system. Thus, much to my amusement, the meeting was not without drama.

Learning about the sub-station was also really interesting. She did a power-point show, mostly filled with pictures, of how APS is trying to make the substation not stand out as much. Thus, instead of seeing a bunch of wires and metal poles, you see something completely different. In order to avert citizen complaints, APS built the shell of an condo complex around the facility. If you look closely, you can tell the structure is not habitable. But driving by, you would never notice.

The second meeting I attended was Formal Council. They said a prayer and the pledge of allegiance. I thought it was very appropriate, and I'm not going to lie, I teared up a bit. This meeting too, was a little drama-filled. Apparently, a development company wants to rezone their property from residential to residential and retail. Of course, the citizens surrounding the area have a huge problem with this, and quite a few (I would say around 40) came to the meeting to let their opinions be known. The developer claimed that he worked with a lot of the residents to make the development more to their liking. And, in truth, some changes were made. That doesn't mean the citizens want the establishment. After about 30 minutes of hearing one side, then the other, the measure (to re-zone and hence for development) was passed.

I think I want to run for Council one day. I fully realize the responsibility it is-- and after watching the re-zoning committee meeting, I am also fully aware of how difficult decision-making can be. But I think it is the height of democracy, and indeed a profession that is a catalyst for good.

The Office v. Arrested Development

I don't watch a lot of TV. Lately, I haven't been watching any TV unless it is the local news while I am cooking, but there are two shows I follow(ed) pretty religiously, they are Arrested Development and The Office (please excuse my lack of italics). Love them. My favorite? That's easy-- Arrested Development. The Office, yes, it's incredibly funny, and sadly, I think of at least two quotes from it per day. And yes, I have brought them up in class...I guess its humor comes from its applicability. We've been in similar situations, so we can easily relate. Except, we probably all lack a Dwight in our lives.

So why do I choose Arrested Development?

The writing is brilliant. No, seriously, it blows me away every time. Why did the show get cancelled? I honestly believe it was because of lack of marketing (the majority of devoted fans I know did not know of the program until it was off of the air). It needs to come back. Apparently they are making a movie-- let's see how that turns out. Have you seen AD? If not, you need to.

Abandonments

Abandonments-- get excited. I had no idea what they were until I started this internship. The best way to know what it is is through an example. Say there is an ally that is behind your and your neighbor's houses. The ally is not used for much. A bunch of trash collects there, and you think that maybe some illicit activies are going on. So, you get together with your neighbors and ask the city to abandon that piece of property. This will allow you to extend your property line. However, there is a catch, allies were created in the first place to give cities easy access to sewer and water lines. So, if you add this piece of property to your overall land, then you must ensure the city that they will be able to come in, and dig up your yard if needs be in case something happens. So, the city decides to "abandon" this piece of land for a price, usually around $0.23 per square foot, which is NOTHING.

Well, as with all things, people are trying to find loopholes so that the government will abandon land so property owners can increase their holdings. Especially developers. A developer will claim that it needs the City to abandon an ally, or a sidewalk, or whatever else so they can develop. Too often, once the city decides to do this, the developer flips the property, selling what the City sold at $0.23 per square foot for $151 per square foot-- thus, the City looses all of that money it would have gained had it sold it at a market price. I agree that the City should let go of what it does not need to encourage development-- but then again, it should not be tricked out of holdings either.

Way-Finding Colors

A lot of focus has been on the design of the way-finding signs. In case you didn’t notice, “trial” way-finding signs were placed around the City for the All-Star game (they were green, light green, and orange). People were surveyed about the usefulness of the system: while commenting on utility, people brought up that they strongly disliked the colors. The designer of the system, a private company which also did Dallas’ system, proposed three different color sets. The greens and the orange were one of the choices—but nobody, including the designers, were too fond of it. Really the trial system was set up to ascertain sign positions and the utility of the system.

Please note that all of the colors used for way-finding have to fit in a certain palate- the Phoenix sun would diminish reds, oranges, and yellows, so the main focal color has to be a cool color. The other two color palates were plum and blue (think hospital sign blue). Way-finding signs that were for cars would have an accent color of light green, and way-finding signs for pedestrians would have orange as the accent color. Thus, what we were to determine was the main color. Everybody really liked plum: it fit well with the accent colors, and matched the copper of the street poles. Here’s the deal-breaker: plum is a specialty color, which costs 20% more than the blue. The blue, granted does not “match” as well as the plum, and does look “hospitally.” However, it less expensive than the plum if we ordered it through the company, and substantially less expensive considering the City sign department has the blue for hospital signs. Further, I think it visually “pops” more. Those in favor of the plum argued that the way-finding system brands the City- do we want our City labeled as a cheap hospital blue? And the plum looks better: it’s just so much more professional looking. So, go for cost savings or branding? Tough call. Glad I don’t have to make it.

Way-Finding and Corporate Sponsership

Way-finding can be rather expensive: thousands of dollars each year in maintenance for the system, and well over a thousand dollars if one sign gets knocked over by a heedless driver or devious teen. Because of the costs there is motivation to find other ways to sponsor the system without the use of much tax dollars. DDO wanted me to do some initial research on corporate sponsorships on way-finding systems.

After looking and looking, I only found one City that does it.

Portland uses corporate sponsorship to subsidize its way-finding program. Businesses are allowed to purchase a “slot” on the way-finding sign for $200 a year. That’s cheap advertising. The annual fees are collected by the City and are used to maintain the system as a whole. Businesses are advertised by their name only (same size and style of font) an no logos are allowed on the signs. After talking with the City of Portland, I was surprised to find out that not a lot of businesses utilize this opportunity. Thus, the program is not totally self-sustaining, at least at the moment. Portland believes there are several reasons why there was a low-response rate. First, they did not advertise very well. They sent an intern out with some pamphlets and told him/her to deliver them to various businesses. Looking back, what they should have done was go to a non-governmental agency that helps businesses develop in Portland (much like DDO) and have them encourage businesses to advertise on way-finding signs. A second reason is that businesses were unfamiliar with what way-finding was and what it would look like. Now that the system has been in existence for two years Portland expects a greater response rate.

Way-finding Research

The City of Phoenix is implementing a way-finding system. Some of you may not know what that is; at least by name-- its purpose is its title, to help people find their way around a city. “This way to City Hall, That way to Wells Fargo Parking” and so forth. Way-finding systems are currently implemented in a lot of downtown areas across the US. The goal is to revitalize downtown areas. If people were better able to find their way around a city (especially tourists) then they will presumably be able to visit more places, which encourages economic growth (especially if those public institutions charge admittance fees). Also, residents may not know all of the benefits their City has to offer, and a way-finding sign, a pseudo-advertisement for public goods, informs the populace of different activities and places of interest. Way-finding is administered and funded in different ways: there is no uniform standard.

In the majority of small cities, the City administers and funds the program. In larger cities, such as Philadelphia and Dallas, way-finding systems are implemented and maintained by a non-governmental organization that has taxing authority within a set boundary in the downtown area. But there are still variances. In Philadelphia, the non-governmental organization, called Central City, installs and maintains the signs. They charge a small fee to government and non-profit organizations that are listed on the way-finding signs (although not all pay). In Dallas, The City is in charge of installing (and re-installing in case a sign gets knocked down) and the nongovernmental organization, DID, is in charge of maintenance. DID, like Central City, has taxing authority but does not charge annual membership fees.

Why Washington is Amazing

So, I was reading 1776-- the Costco version that comes with all of those cool add-ins-- and came across a story that really impressed me. It was about George Washington before the siege of New York in late November. Imagine this: hundreds of men or dying, from disease, want of food, and the cold; the British are just off the coast with hundreds of ships, waiting to attack; you don't want to give up New York because it's one of the biggest cities in America at the time, and losing it to British control might be too discouraging for the army and the American people. Washington did not know what to do: should he retreat and let New York fall into British hands? or make a stand?

Washington wrote to General Lee, who was up in Burlington, to ask him to send some of his men down into New York. Along with Washington's letter, Washington's private secretary and a very trusted friend, Joseph Reed, slipped in a note of his own to Lee-- it was two pages long, lambasting Washington for not being a good leader, calling him incapable, and generally suggesting that Lee should take Washington's place. Six days later, an express came from General Lee-- thinking it was about the recruitments, Washington tore open the letter. The letter was really to Reed, and with the first few sentences, thanked Reed for finding himself (Lee) capable of leading the army and agreed that Washington's lack of decisiveness was more deadly in war than "stupidity or even want of personal courage." What is truly remarkable about this situation is that after reading the first two sentences, Washington resealed the letter, sent it to Reed with a note of his own enclosed. The note written by Washington explained the miscommunication that led him to open the letter, apologized for his own intrusiveness, thanked him for his tireless service, and signed it "your most obliging servant." Can you imagine? You're going through one of the toughest times in your life, two people who are your friends, and on whom you rely greatly on, betray and commit treason against you-- and all you can do is thank them? That is why Washington is pretty much the best. I wish there were more men like him.

The Joys of Implementation

Something I have learned at this internship: implementation is not pretty. Policy-makers can get up before a group of people, make grand guarantees, promise bright futures, and are in the business of telling people exactly what they want to hear: don’t worry; government will solve all of their problems. But, politicians cannot ensure the effectiveness of these policies: they very well may be promising what is impossible to deliver: after all, they do need to be re-elected. If the policy goes array, there are always the bureaucrats to blame. Words are easy. Actions are substantially harder.

Policy promises sound great to many residents. To those involved in government, it may sound great to them as well, but a bureaucrat cannot help but ask – how in the world is this going to work? Money has a limit, businesses will only comply to a certain point, and residents may get tired of taxes, and perhaps compliance. To ensure all of this is actually accomplished? That’s the government’s job. And undoubtedly, it will more than likely be an implementation nightmare. Some of these hurdles will need to be jumped if the policy is really worth it. On the other hand, some of these hurdles, well, just aren't worth jumping. Because the pursuit of something-- using an imperfect plan to fulfill an overarching goal-- can screw the situation more up than if it was just left alone.

It may work, it may not. One thing is abundantly clear—big policy promises cost a lot of money, and take a lot of time. My one caution is this: next time a politician promises you the world, step back, and ponder the logistics. It may be impossible. Empty promises are just that, empty promises. Don’t get too excited. A politician may try to get you the world, but after he/she is done with it, it may be so messed up you decide you don’t want it anymore.

Public Health Service Act, section 481 A

This is why government is not so great. We are trying to get a portion of the stimulus. In order to be granted stimulus monies, we need to comply with stimulus demands. Easy, right? But, it’s government, and government has a unique ability to take what should be a carefree process and turn it into an all-day-still-nothing-getting-tired-of-googling-I-would sell-sell-my-soul-for-the-answer-NIGHTMARE. You would think it would be rather simple to ascertain eligibility requirements in order to get our hands (or anybody else’s hands) on 1.5 billion of taxpayer’s money. That’s a lot of money- and as transparent as Obama is trying to be, you would think that the requirements to get this money would be in big, bold, red letters at the top. Guess again.

And that is what I experienced today. I did three hours worth of search engines and nothing, absolutely nothing, to show for it. I have no idea where section 481A of the Public Health and Service Act is. I looked on THOMAS (the library of Congress) on the NIH website, on the NCRR website—looked under various act names that could be related, such as the Animal Welfare Act, and the National Institutes for Health Revitalization Act (maybe it went by a different name? Sometimes Congresses passes an act that stands as an act, in and of itself, but part of the act replaces part of another act). The end result? I found three revisions of PHS Act Section 481 A, one department that was created because of this section, a couple of blogs about how evil the stimulus is, and about 50 million different versions of the stimulus itself referencing this section –BUT NO ACTUAL TEXT. It’s not just me; oh no, about five people in my department have worked on this as well as our inter-governmental relations guy.

NCRR is getting a call in the morning.

18th to 19th Century Literature

Chris said we can talk about anything we want to- I took that to heart. If I could be a professor of anything, it would be English Lit. I love it; I've always loved it. My favorite authors are Thomas Hardy, DH Lawrence, and to through a few poets in there, Keats, Wordsworth, and Yeats (although, technically he is an Irishman). I am also a huge fan of Tolstoy - who is Russian, but he was an enormous fan of Dickens. In fact, he kept a portriat of Dickens in his study -- so that's close enough, right? Oddly, I am not a big fan of Dickens, or George Eliot -- I tried to read Middle March three times -- and I haven't gotten past page 576 yet.

I am currently reading Jane Eyre. It's my reward to myself for Spring Break. I'm not going anywhere because I have to work -- so I decided I would allow myself to do something that wasn't associated with school. I forgot how much I loved that book. I remember going to the library and explaining to the librarian that I wanted something a little more advanced than The Boxcar Children, Goosebumps, and American Girl series. She handed me a copy of Jane Eyre. And that's when the love affair begin. From Jane Eyre to Withering Heights to all of Austen.

Of course, I love American authors around the same time: Lousia May Alcott, Emerson (who was actually best friends with Louisa's dad, crazy, eh?), and Thoreau.

Maybe it's not so much British literature as the time period.

Gotta love those contracts

Our contracts are in a state of disarray. It's not the fault of DDO. The Department has received more contracts and because of budget cuts, has to manage these contracts with less people. Thankfully, we requested Prolaw -- a contract database -- in our budget and it went through Council and was approved! Prolaw will allow DDO to track contracts much easier. The contract is loaded into the computer and Prolaw analyzes it -- it ascertains milestones, specific obligations, and so forth. It coordinates this information with Outlook. For example, when an employee comes into work, first thing on their agenda is to ensure such-and-such company paid their annual bill to the city. No more digging through stacks, upon stacks of paperwork trying to get the answer. The law department uses the same kind of system, and they love it.

Well, the question is what to do in the meantime. Prolaw will not be installed until mid-July. Even then, we have to wait for training and to input all of our contracts into the system. Thank goodness there is an intern to do such things. ;) At least, that is my goal before I go. I want to do as many contracts as I can -- by all means, there is no way I can do all of them. But anything I can do in regard to organizing contracts will help the City, I feel. I have completed one. It took me about two weeks (I have other projects I am working on as well). I put all of the information in an Excel document, and I think it is readily understandable.

Contract Law

My office also does a lot with contracts....a lot. I feel like a need a law degree in Contract law to understand a vast majority of what is going on. We have two lawyers, both specialized in real estate contract law, to help us negotiate and understand a lot of our agreements. They also help us interpret new bills proposed by the legislature that might affect our department.

My first week on the internship, they wanted me to consolidate two sets of file on the same property. All of it was legal jargon that made little to no sense to me. As I have become more familiar with the project, however, I feel more comfortable analyzing its contract laws, as well as those with other properties. This does not necessarily make the assignment go quicker. I received this project the first week I was there. I am still working on it. Last week, I finally finished going through the files, and writing on a sticky note what information each file contained. Now, I have to compare the two sets of files and shred any duplicate information, as well as put all files into an intelligble whole.

Noting that governmnet law and contracts will be a large portion of each of our careers some day, I think ASU should offer some sort of public policy law course. They may very well do, I just haven't seen it.

GPLET

GPLET is a large portion of what the DDO does:

Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) is administered by the City of Phoenix in order to lure potential job-creating businesses into (re)development areas. GPLET removes the business’s obligation to pay property taxes to the County of Maricopa, and instead negotiates an excise tax and a lease rate; the two combined are significantly less expensive within the terms of the GPLET agreement than the property tax – thus making settling in Phoenix more enticing to firms.

GPLET is implemented in the City of Phoenix to entice potential businesses, retail stores, hotels, research firms, and art entrepreneurs to the Downtown Phoenix region. The lease and excise tax are usually standard, but are subjected to negotiation depending on a variety of circumstances: how many jobs the firm will create, the financial standing of the firm, the location of the development, and so forth. The length of the lease is also open for negotiation; although, the standard lease length is twenty-five years. The first year on GPLET is typically free- new companies do not pay any lease rates or excise tax. The last year of the GPLET lease is designed to cost as much as property taxes, and substantially increase every year thereafter. Thus, it would behoove the business to buy the land from the City the last year of the lease. Increasing GPLET rates after the lease provides incentives for companies to move off of GPLET, purchase the land from the government, and begin paying regular ad valorem property taxes.

GPLET is a controversial issue. Stay tuned to see how the policy evolves.

The Basics of my Internship

Hey everyone,

Noting this is an internship blog, it would be necessary to introduce you to my internship. I am an intern at the City of Phoenix, Downtown Development Office. I started January 5 and should complete the internship around the end of March/beginning of April. It's been great and an interesting learning experience thus far. I have an adamant belief that books and lectures can only educate one so far, the rest has to be learned through experience. It has been neat to see how the concepts I learn in class are applied in reality.

The goal of the Downtown Development Office (DDO) is in its title- develop/revitalize downtown. So far, the DDO has a number of projects aimed at this goal: the Sheraton Hotel, the bio-medical campus, ASU downtown, a number of condos/apartment complexes, Artist Storefront, Lightrail, CityScape, and Arizona Center. I am sure I am missing some, but those are the projects I have been working on. Again, the goal is to get businesses, retail stores, and residents into downtown Phoenix by creating an agreeable and enticing cultural setting. The City of Phoenix also issues something called GPLET (Government Property Lease Excise Tax). In lue of potential incoming businesses paying property tax, they pay the substantially less expensive excise tax and a lease rate to the city. The lower tax rates lure businesses to the area. The terms of GPLET are negotiable- most, however, last 25 years, at which point the GPLET rates are the same as property tax rates- thus, it would behoove the business to buy the property at that point and pay regular property taxes.

That's a brief overview. I will get more into what I do in other blogs. Let me know if you have any questions.

An Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is Kathryn Jones and I should be done with the MPA program by this fall. I came to ASU in July. I applied to several MPA schools but ASU seemed like the best fit, and I could finish the program within a year. Plus, when I was looking around at schools it was the middle of horrible winter in Utah, so sunny Arizona had extra appeal. My husband is going to law school this fall. He was originally going to go last Fall, but decided to defer so I could pursue my education. I have thus far really enjoyed the program. It's right up my ally. I researched MPA schools and the curriculum a lot, I was fairly certain it was what I wanted to do but not positive. It's hard to really gauge what you're into until after you're into it. I am very pleased to say that I am very happy with my choice of both graduate school and graduate program.

A little bit about me- I was born in Texas, raised in Colorado, and went to school in Utah (BYU). I majored in International Relations with a minor in business management. I met my husband on an internship in DC and we got married a year later. No babies, no pets. I really love to read- English classics are my favorite- Hardy, Lawrence, etc. I recently have really been getting into Tolstoy- I just finished Anna Karenina and am starting War and Peace, which for all practical reasons, is on hold till this crazy semester is over. I love to backpack and camp. My husband is trying to get me interested in golf, so we'll see how that goes.