"What's Happening?" and "Go Get "Em!" Remembering Tim Russert

Another month has come to an end, and building on my most recent commentary, "Moments of Truth" continue to be found. We felt great sadness with the sudden passing of Tim Russert, journalist and political analyst of the first order. He was tough and caring, two words that do not often go together in identifying a person. In the same way, how could one person ask both "What's happening?", and give a battle charge, "Go get 'em!" ?

Tim Russert was a "2 for 1".

Russert would seek the latest information and updates from his journalists and staff associates, and as the one minute countdown to the Sunday morning start began for "Meet the Press", he would try to find out which politician was faking about what.
GO GET 'EM! These were words of encouragement to fellow reporters, friends and, very important, his favorite team, the "Buffalo Bills".

"WHAT'S HAPPENING? "
In the spirit of Tim Russert's challenge to fellow journalists working on an important story, how long does it take a work in progress to be resolved? Maryland has an example of a continuing issue that needs continuing work and action. That issue is the future of the government agency that works to strengthen economic development in Maryland: our Department of Economic & Business Development (DBED).

Following media reports that Governor O'Malley wants to reorganize DBED following a statement that "the DBED we have inherited, in essence, is designed to be a mezzanine loan office". He further described the process as "deals" originated through the counties. His Secretary of Economic Development further states that Maryland "needs to be better connected to the technology community".

It is strange that the computer services tax cleared DBED, and without high tech business opposition, might have slipped through both the Legislature and the cabinet department assigned to provide a favorable fiscal climate for the growth of high tech and biotech industry. There seemed to be a gap between organizational theory and hard reality.

In the spirit of finding out "what's happening", I sought information from one of the few business senior professionals who has served at DBED's helm, Aris Melissarotis, successful business executive, who left a Westinghouse career to open a new and refocused DBED, government action instead of talk, in behalf of economic action in sync with a changed 21st century technology-based economy. One of his most creative action steps was to insert economic strategy into the higher education sector. Putting it bluntly, this adds a 4th "technology gear" to higher education research that can strengthen the economic clout of technology: economic and human needs results from high tech and biotech research. Aris told me that a prime purpose of "government's economic development policy is to create intellectual property/applied knowledge by which the private sector business can grow".

Under this approach to managing an economic development agency, the Maryland Venture Fund, under the direction of Ann Quinn, took the approach of economic development for the Maryland region through direct investments and encouragment of investments in regional venture funds and providing incentives for the Maryland State Pension system to more creatively invest in alternative economic development options.

Bottom Line: before the current State Administration looks to "bureaucratic reshuffling", it must continue the free enterprise approach for DBED to act as a catalyst for private sector growth in the 21st century world of high-tech and biotech. Former DBED Secy. Melissarotis makes a direct point: "Government needs to get to substance, not moving bureaucracies round and round". Well spoken - and Aris is now doing that kind of work as a senior executive at Johns Hopkins to have intellectual property work with practical results.

If Tim Russert were still with us, he might say that, as we find out "what's happening", we should act! As he put it: "Go get 'em!"

HOW TO DO IT:

After considering the need to put a more practical business approach to government, let us return to the exit lines about Tim Russert that have meaning for today: both business and government, and the human beings who attempt to make both work. Thoughts at the Kennedy Center tributes to Tim Russert from his friends:

1. Doris Kearns Goodwin is an historian and author of "Team of Rivals", the story of how Abraham Lincoln garnered cooperation from campaign rivals to form a coalition cabinet during the frightening years of the Civil War's threat to destroy this nation. When asked by the press whether he was being "two-faced", Lincoln responded in direct fashion: "If I had more than one face, do you honestly think I would use THIS one? "

2. Son Luke Russert, in noting that his Dad was likely adapting "Meet the Press" to a heavenly audience and would bring back past American leaders for further Sunday morning Q & A sessions. Among those he thought might be early on the list for this election year were Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton - to have them keep debating instead of dueling, Theodore Roosevelt on the value of a 3rd, truly independent party, Jack Kennedy and Barry Goldwater on whether the 2008 election campaign can advance beyond rhetoric and expensive, no-substance advertising.

During the next few weeks of summer reflection and filtering out work from words, whether in business, government and our lives, let's thank Tim Russert for cutting through the rhetoric of political words and the example he gave through the story of family in "Big Russ and Me" and "Faith of our Fathers".

Whether in Maryland or in the nation, it is good to apply the words of St. Francis to our own lives, as suggested by Tim Russert's 4th grade teacher, Sister Lucille, "In giving of ourselves, we receive".  11:38 AM •