- Ana Cortez, currently the assistant city manager and interim finance director in Yakima, Wash., has been chosen as the city manager of Helena. Cortez will replace Ron Alles, who was the city manager from September 2009 until his retirement in June of this year. Dennis Taylor, who previously served as city manager from 1999 to 2001, has filled Alles' position on an interim basis since his retirement.
- Shawn Robinson, president of Hillsborough Community College's Ybor City campus since 2007, is stepping down to return to teaching. He will relocate to the college's Brandon campus at the end of the year to join the mathematics faculty. A replacement for Robinson has not yet been announced. Prior to joining the college he served as a mathematics professor, library director, academic assistant to the provost, and dean of Social Sciences and Physical Education at Valencia Community College in Orlando, Fla.
- Greg Minor has been appointed the city of Palm Bay facilities director. He has more than 20 years of experience working for Brevard County and most recently served as the South Area Parks operations manager where he oversaw facilities management and construction. He began his new role Nov. 5. The city of Palm Bay Facilities Department is responsible for the maintenance, construction, renovation and emergency repair of the city's 58 existing buildings and facilities.
- The Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce has chosen Maureen McGuinness as its new president, replacing Jennifer Kilcoyne who left in late August. McGuinness, who took office on Nov. 5., was previously at the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce as its membership manager since February 2015 and its Economic Advancement and Member Relations manager since this past April.
- Joshua Shaklee has replaced Keith Cubic as the planning director for Douglas County. Shaklee was first hired as a planning manager with Douglas County in June of 2017. Cubic is retiring after more than 47 years working for the county. He became the assistant planning director in 1974, taking the planning director role in 1976.
- The Pentagon's third-highest ranking official, John "Jay" Gibson, has announced his resignation. Gibson, the Defense Department's chief management officer (CMO), will leave his position on Nov. 30. He will be replaced on an acting basis by Lisa Hershman, the deputy CMO. Gibson has held the position since February, when he became the department's first-ever CMO. Congress created the position in the 2017 defense authorization bill and made it the third most senior position in the department, behind the secretary and deputy secretary.
- The Bureau of Land Management has a new director in Colorado. Jamie Connell, who previously worked in Colorado, will be returning to the state to serve as the agency's state director. Connell currently is serving as the Oregon-Washington state director. Connell is replacing acting Colorado state director Greg Shoop, who will resume his work as associate state director. The former state director, Ruth Welch, was reassigned by the Department of Interior to the Bureau of Reclamation in 2017.
- El Dorado County recently appointed Tiffany Schmid as its new planning and building director. Schmid took the place of Roger Trout who retired. Schmid has worked for El Dorado County since 2014, most recently as a principal management analyst in the Chief Administrative Office.
- On Nov. 9 Jack Buono replaced Rear Adm. James Helis as the superintendent of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point. Buono most recently served as the president and CEO of an oil company's shipping subsidiary. Buono's appointment follows Helis accepting a position as special assistant to Mark Buzby, the head of the Maritime Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation agency tasked with overseeing the academy.
- Shreveport Police Chief Alan Crump is retiring. His resignation will go into effect Nov. 15, 2018. Crump began his career with the Shreveport Police Department in 1992. He became the interim chief in July of 2016 and was later named to the permanent position.
- George Crater has been hired to oversee operations at Mount Airy-Surry County Airport on behalf of the county government. Crater has been employed as planning director with the town of Elkin since 2006, a role including responsibility for management and oversight of the Elkin Municipal Airport. Traditionally, the management of the airport has been contracted out to a third party, a fixed-based operator.
- Cobb County's elected officials have approved Erica Parish as the permanent director of transportation. Parish was serving as interim director after Jim Wilgus left in April. Parish came to Cobb in 2016 from the Paulding County Transportation Department, where she was their pre-construction manager. Cobb County is the Georgia's third most populated county with three-quarters of a million residents.
- Battalion Chief Randy Adams has been selected as the new chief of the Wayne Township Fire Department. Adams will take over the role of fire chief from Gene Konzen on Jan. 1, 2019. Adams is a 35-year veteran of the Wayne Township Fire Department. He has served in several positions within the department, most recently in the role of shift commander. An interim chief will be decided upon next week. A search will also be conducted to find a new police chief for the city. The interim chief will initially be appointed for 90 days.
- Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joe Lhota has resigned. Lhota is stepping down from public service after two terms as head of the MTA and decades of work at the highest levels of government. MTA Vice Chairman Fernando Ferrer will serve as acting chair while officials prepare to name a permanent replacement when the Senate returns in January. Lhota first served as MTA chairman in 2011. He resigned in 2012, when he ran for New York City mayor and lost to Bill de Blasio, but returned to the MTA in June 2017.
- Michael Sullivan has been hired as the assistant director of the Office of Private Sector for the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). In this position, Sullivan oversees the FBI's efforts to strengthen partnerships with the U.S. private sector. Sullivan comes to the FBI with experience gained in a professional career that has spanned 38 years in law enforcement and private sector security.
North Carolina- Wake County voters approved more than $1.1 billion in bonds for new school construction and park projects. County officials stated that the new bonds will help the county with more economic development opportunities and make the area a greater attraction for businesses. Broken down, $548 million will be used for the Wake County school system on new construction projects, including seven new schools, 11 major renovations and upgrades to security and computers. Voters could be asked to decide on another school bond referendum as soon as 2020 since county leaders opted to go with two smaller referenda rather than one large one this year. 
Virginia- The Montgomery County school division has agreed to issue proposals for the replacement of Belview Elementary School and the renovation and expansion of Christianburg High School. The board recently voted to advertise both multi-million-dollar opportunities after receiving an unsolicited proposal from a developer. The plan calls for an estimated $110 million worth of work that would build a 750-student capacity elementary school and expand Christiansburg High's capacity to 1,400 students. 
New Jersey- Voters approved a statewide ballot question asking if they supported the Securing Our Children's Future Act, a $500 million bond to expand vocational schools and bolster security in K-12 school districts. The measure also includes funding for community colleges and improving school water systems. Debt from the bond will be serviced through New Jersey's sales tax collections. 
Massachusetts- The city of Worcester next month plans to issue a request for qualifications (RFQ) for a construction manager for a new minor league ballpark. Last week, the Worcester Redevelopment Authority hired an architect to develop a schematic design for the project. The ballpark will be built in the Canal District/Kelley Square area of town and will be home to the AAA Worcester Red Sox, an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. 
Vermont- In Burlington, the University of Vermont Board (UVM) of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution for a multi-purpose facility project for the Athletic Department. The project includes a renovation of the historic Gutterson Fieldhouse and the construction of a new events center that will serve as the home for the Catamount men's and women's basketball teams while also hosting a variety of campus and public events. 
North Carolina- The Alamance-Burlington School System's $150 million bond issue passed during last week's bond election. Broken down, $80 million will fund renovations and additions at the district's six high schools and Pleasant Grove and South Mebane Elementary Schools. The other $70 million will build a new high school in the eastern portion of the county. School system officials plan to publish a request for qualifications in the next few days for an architectural design firm. Responses are due after winter break and a design team is expected to be chosen by late February or early March. The plan is to break ground in 2020 on a new high school, placing the projected opening date in the fall of 2020 at the earliest. 
Michigan- The Marquette County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve both airport operations agreements and an updated version of the airport minimum standards. The fixed base operator (FBO) limited service agreement at Sawyer International Airport and building leases were set to expire at the end of this coming February, and the new agreement extends the term of the contract six months beyond that date. 
Kentucky- Bowling Green is looking for someone to potentially lease the city-owned Golf Course at Riverview. While the city prefers that the course continue to be used for a golf-related function, other uses would be considered. This nine-hole course has received the least amount of revenue compared to the city's other two courses. 
Georgia- The city of Brookhaven recently approved a $40 million parks bond referendum with over 60 percent of the vote. Six of the city's parks will be subject to capital improvement projects that are to be managed by a program manager. Money from the parks bond will fund the following projects: Ashford Park, $1.94 million; Blackburn Park, $1.3 million; Briarwood Park, $7 million; Brookhaven Park, $6 million; Lynwood Park, $11 million; Murphey Candler Park, $8.98 million; and system wide funding for security, maintenance and invasive plant removal, among other things, $3.47 million. 
Louisiana- State Senator Rick Ward sponsored legislation passed this year that allows a five-parish coalition to build a third bridge in or near Iberville parish - without waiting for the state. The New Bridge PAC (political action committee) will survey the public and collect data about what exactly voters would support. It will also try to drum up support from private companies. The plan is to incorporate a public-private partnership and this proposal could be voted on as soon as the spring. 
Alabama- The city of Birmingham wants to begin an on-demand microtransit pilot program and is looking for a public-private partnership. The vehicles must carry at least six passengers at once, must be accessible without a smartphone, must operate within the entire city limits and provide wait times not to exceed 15 minutes. Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama with a population of 212,000 and a metro of 1.1 million. The city seeks to reduce its automobile dependency. Elected leadership recognizes that accomplishing daily tasks without a private vehicle is extraordinarily difficult-especially for the 29 percent of Birmingham residents who are living in poverty. 
Colorado- The city of Breckenridge wants to fill the role of "fiber infrastructure provider" by developing a dark fiber network that will extend to all premises citywide. Breckenridge's year-round population is only around 5,000, but visitors can make that number swell as high as 36,000 people. In addition to putting significant stress on wired Internet access in the mountain town, mobile service is overtaxed. The city hopes to use fiber to improve cell service for visitors in addition to smart city applications and niche services, such as home security, telehealth and other possibilities. 
Michigan- The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has announced a $745,000 allotment to support the development of affordable housing on the Y Lot, the library's property at 343 S. Fifth Ave. and the Blake Transit Center on South Fifth Avenue. The city is studying potential uses for the 0.8-acre space and has proposed three options: pursuing public-private partnerships (P3) to create a mixed-use development including affordable housing; a private mixed-use development that would include affordable housing; or mixed-income housing only. 
Georgia- Sandy Springs, a city that pioneered the use of outside contractors for government services when it was incorporated in 2005, announced it will seek qualified companies under a new round of requests for proposals (RFP) this winter. The city will solicit bids in the areas of call center, communications, community development, facilities, finance, information services and public works/Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) services. 
Nov. 27 and 28
March 4-6
