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Glendale’s Work Boot Tuesday recognized among other ‘innovative’ government programs

Recreation Supervisor Mark Sturdivant speaks to the Glendale City Council and residents at the Le Mesnager Barn at Deukmejian Wilderness Park to discuss the future of the barn. The presentation and tour was part of the city's Work Boot series.

Recreation Supervisor Mark Sturdivant speaks to the Glendale City Council and residents at the Le Mesnager Barn at Deukmejian Wilderness Park to discuss the future of the barn. The presentation and tour was part of the city’s Work Boot series.

(Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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A Glendale community outreach program designed to educate residents and city officials about local public services is in the running to receive an award and $100,000 in prize money.

The program, known as Work Boot Tuesday, began in 2015 as a way to highlight the inner workings of public services with sessions held on-site at key city facilities. For example, the Beeline bus fleet, police and fire departments as well as the Grayson Power Plant have all hosted an event.

Work Boot Tuesday is now one of 100 semifinalist government programs nominated for the Innovations in American Government Awards. The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, grants the honor to programs it considers original, effective and impactful.

“Then Mayor [Zareh] Sinanyan really wanted council members to connect with the community outside of City Hall,” said Christine Powers, program supervisor. “He wanted council members to go out and see these things. He kept saying he wanted ‘boots on the ground.’”

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Workboot meeting participants board a Beeline bus at Broadway and Glendale Ave. on Tuesday, March 22, 2016.
Workboot meeting participants board a Beeline bus at Broadway and Glendale Ave. on Tuesday, March 22, 2016.
(Roger Wilson / Staff Photographer)

The honor would be the second recognition for the program, as it won the Winston Crouch Award for Innovation in Government last year from the Southern California chapter of the American Society of Public Administration.

“We’re trying to tackle different sections, different departments as things come up,” Powers said. “We try to coordinate Work Boot events with what is happening with the city and the community.”

If Work Boot Tuesday takes home the $100,000 grand prize, Powers said city staff would likely use the money to enhance the program to accommodate transportation at on-site visits and education efforts.

Some upcoming Work Boot meetings, which are usually held on the first Tuesday of the month, include fire prevention training in the spring, a discussion about permits at the community development department and another at the Glendale Central Library once it reopens later this year.

The Ash Center will name and invite 10 finalists to give a presentation about their respective programs to the Innovation Award program’s national selection committee in March. The grand prize winner will be announced in June.

“These programs demonstrate that there are no prerequisites for doing the good work of governing” said Stephen Goldsmith, director of the Innovations in American Government Program at the Ash Center in a statement.

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Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda

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