James M. Costa

Diamond In The Rough is an autobiography of James M. Costa, a young immigrant from S. Italy who survives poverty, war, amputation, corporate corruption and the lure of the Mafia in his journey to achieving the "American Dream". It is a gritty, sometimes graphic and brutal story that includes gentleness, kindness, and deep love of family, where perseverance and integrity are the shepherds to his success.

Fiscal Health for Local Governments offers a how-to approach to identifying and solving financial problems. Its principal selling point lies in its assumptions: instead of using the vocabulary and research agendas of economist, finance scholars, and political scientists, it will appeal to readers who lack sophisticated knowledge in these areas and nevertheless need practical advice. The book stems from the Fiscal Health Education Program, an applied economics program at the University of Minnesota. It uses three measures of fiscal health — financial condition, trend analysis, and financial trend monitoring system — as the basis for advocating particular fiscal strategies. The book examines the tools that can be used to assess the condition of a local government's fiscal health and some of the policy causes or remedies for certain situations, as well as some of the strategies governments can pursue to maintain and improve health. It will serve as a primer for readers interested in understanding financial processes and alternatives, and as a practical guide for those who need access to fiscal measurement tools.