John Filan addressed the issue of municipal financial stress in “Is This Time Different?” at the Tri-State Municipal Conference in New York. This two-day conference addressed a variety of issues facing municipalities. John’s presentation was delivered at the pre-conference workshop entitled, “Municipal Credit and the Markets.”
John Filan was asked to speak on the subject of public sector distress and alternative sources of funding with public sector officials and professionals. He joined former U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and many state and local government officials at the Public Private Partnership (P3) Roundtable in Chicago. At the P3 Roundtable, John discussed alternative uses and financing of municipal assets including leases, partnerships, monetization and privatization.
As a guest lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School seminar on municipal insolvency, John focused on the depth and duration of the recession and its effect on state and local governments’ continuing economic outlook. The talk and subsequent discussion included issues and solutions regarding pension liabilities, and legal and public policy issues differentiating types of government debt versus business debt obligations. business