Celebrating 50 years of power naps

My first few careers focused on economic and community development and included leadership positions in both the public and private sectors – including eight years in the City Manager’s Office in Sacramento, eight years as a small-business owner, and nine years with Fortune 1000 companies. During this time I negotiated over $2.0 billion in public-private partnerships and real estate investments. My roles have included leading the City of Sacramento Economic Development Division, heading the strategic planning and site selection group at  Southern California Edison’s Corporate Real Estate Department, and serving as a Vice President of Granite Construction’s real estate subsidiary. I have taught public policy, program evaluation and public finance at USC’s Price School of Public Policy.

I’m currently in the dissertation phase of a PhD in Public Policy and Administration at the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.  My research at VCU  centers on the relationship between local sales taxes, private equity, and wages. My dissertation is focused on local tourism taxes, manipulation of hotel valuations, and suppression of wages in the hospitality sub-sector.

My favorite pastimes are cycling and writing scholarly papers and articles about aspects of capitalism in the American West and the Irish diaspora. I published my first book in 2018 with Mountain Press Publishing Co., a biography of radical western millionaire, James A. Murray (my third great uncle).

In this blog share both historical and modern perspectives on local economic development policies. Thank you for dropping by!

s/Bill Farley