UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 21, Page 3
February 24, 1994
Professor considers state experience 'worthwhile'

     In addtion to teaching and acting as associate chairperson of the
Department of Political Science and International Relations, Joseph Pika,
professor in the department, served last year as executive director of
Delaware's Commission on Government Reorganization and Effectiveness.
     The charge of the group, known informally as the Minner Commission
since it was chaired by Lt. Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, was to carry out a study
of how state agencies could conduct business more effectively and be made
more responsive to the public. The goal was to file a report with
recommendations for reorganization to the governor in the fall.
     In spite of last year's hectic schedule, Pika said the experience with
the commission whose task was to upgrade the quality of public
administration and life in Delaware, was "truly worthwhile."
     In a recent letter to University President David P. Roselle, Gov.
Thomas R. Carper wrote that Pika "did a great job serving as executive
director of the Minner Commission to restructure and reorganize state
government. I just want you to know that we are indebted to him and to
you."
     All the members of the commission, which also included Edward
Ratledge, director of the Center for Applied Demographic and Survey
Research in the College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, were familiar
with the workings of state government, and most had held government posts.
They were hardworking, confronted hard choices and carried out a demanding
job in a relatively short time, Pika said.
     A consulting firm specializing in governemnt management assisted the
commission in establishing a framework in terms of time, targets and tasks.
But, Pika pointed out, the project was designed to be primarily a state
project by and for Delawareans.
     State agencies were divided into six cluster groups in the areas of
education, human resources, public safety, economic development, natural
resources and management support. Staff members, recruited from state
employees, visited the agencies, carried out interviews and gathered
information and data. In addition, public forums were held, Minner met with
employees in the workplace, and suggestions were solicited through several
other avenues.
     "We stressed that we were not there to evaluate employees or their
jobs, but to look at the structure of agencies and to determine where there
was duplication of effort or things that could be improved. We did not get
into the area of cross-jurisdictional issues among state, counties and
municipalities," Pika said.
     Working through the summer and early fall, the commission interpreted
the data, made recommendations and presented its report to the governor in
October. He, in turn, has made decisions about whether or not to enact the
recommendations of the report through executive order or by proposing
changes to the legislature.
     What were some of the findings of the commission and some of proposed
changes?
     In one instance, Pika said, the commission found that the
responsibilities of the Capital Police who provide security for state
property could be readily absorbed by the state police.
     In another area, the commission suggested that professional regulatory
boards, such those related to medicine and dentistry, as well as several
economic regulatory activiites should be placed under the jurisdiction of
the Department of State, which already regulates banks.
     One of Pika's major concerns is updating and unifying the state's
computer system, which falls far behind those operating in the private
sector. There were so many separate computer systems that had sprung up
independently, he said, that until recently, the governor could not contact
all cabinet members through one e-mail system.
     Delaware's endeavors in international trade was another area studied
by the commission, which recommended coordinating efforts without stifling
individual initiatives.
     Some recommendations, such as combining the Delaware Development
Office and the Department of Labor, were controversial and are not to be
implemented.
     As a small state, Delaware government is not impersonal, staffed by
faceless bureaucrats, Pika said. People know each other and know who holds
what job, so there are sensitive areas, he said.
     This kind of appraisal of state government seems to be carried out
every 20-25 years, according to Pika. The process itself brings about
self-examination by government agencies in terms of their structure, their
purpose, their goals and how they are carrying them out. This can result in
beneficial changes within the agencies that are not necessarily reflected
in the commission's report.
     Involvement with the Minner Commission had another advantage for Pika.
As a political scientist interested in the workings of government, Pika had
an opportunity to observe and learn about the interaction of government and
politics from an insider's point of view. This, he said, was an invaluable,
professional experience.
                                                  -Sue Swyers Moncure