Steven Barr has left the helm of the Washington Post’s "Federal Diary," a key daily tool in print and on the Web for federal employees and many who care about improving government service.  His successor is Joe Davidson, who today brings Post readers a look at his own plans and reports what priorities leaders around Washington see for the world’s largest corporation.  Making sure the workforce stays competitive — at entry as well as executive levels — and preparing the bureaucracy for the next presidential administration are at the top of the list.  Read Joe Davidson’s introductory column here.

Montgomery County, Maryland is facing a money drain in the form of disabilities payments to former police officers and firefighters who, having retired from the county payroll, are working full time jobs — often doing the very same police or fire and rescue work they did before — in other jurisdictions.  Ann Marimow and Dan Morse of the Washington Post report that County supervisor Isaac "Ike" Leggett ordered a review of payments and discovered that Montgomery County had paid disability to 34% of public safety officials, where neighboring counties have paid a much smaller percentage of employees — ranging from 25% down to 4% of the same employee groups.  It’s hard to criticize public safety workers — and a risky stand for an elected offiical like Leggett who needs their votes in the future — but taking a close look at these expenses is in the taxpayers’ interest. And not just in Maryland.  -NH

The New York Times’ Adam Nossiter reports that FBI and Housing and Urban Development agents raided a New Orlean nonprofit housing agency intended to help Hurricane Katrina victims. The Affordable House Ownership Program was supposed help elderly and poor residents displaced by the storm. Instead many of the funds for the $3.6 million went to private contractors with little accountability. Some of them went to to the brother-in-law of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin.

There’s not much take away here besides the fact that government can fail its neediest citizens at all levels. Since the Bush administration declined to do a "Marshall Plan" for Katrina, New Orleans residents are reliant on an array of federal and local agencies and nonprofits. Maybe the drama of a raid can alter this.-MB

The New York Times’ James Risen reports that by the end of this year the federal govt. will have spent $100 billion on contracts in Iraq. This is about 20 percent of the total money the U.S. has spent in Iraq since the 2003 invasion. Between guarding dignitaries and serving cafeteria food, there are more govt. contractors in Iraq than U.S. troops.

These are all alarming statistics. What would be good is if Congress used them to evaluate the overall effect of wartime contracting instead of on a scandal-by-scandal basis.

One issue that especially needs more attention is how these 180,000 employees are being treated. If they die or are wounded, will the company or U.S. govt. inform their families? How much are these workers making? Do they have any labor rights?

It would be nice to answer these questions before the next corporate-sponsored military adventure.-MB

What about Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne? Or any other federal agency political appointee accused of putting the White House and industry before environmental science?

Yesterday Kempthorne announced an executive change to the Endangered Species Act: federal agencies will replace independent scientific review panels as the source for decisions affecting everything from endangered species to air pollution. The rule is pending a 30-day comment period.

The Washington Post’s Juliet Eilperin reports that affected projects include the Interior Dept. now determining if a dam or highway project threatens an endangered animal. The Environmental Protection Agency, currently manned by Stephen "Stonewall" Johnson, could, for example, determine if a new power plant didn’t give off too much greenhouse gas emissions.

The scientific review panels, under the Fish and Wildlife Service or National Marine Fisheries Service, aren’t infallible. But this seems like the worst time to get rid of a check on ecologically-oriented agencies after they’ve politicized everything from ozone to the polar bear.-MB