By Jim Welfley
July 16, 2007

Attending CIOs Gregory Blount (Irvington, NJ) Jack Ciulla (Long Beach, CA) Douglas Feldkamp (Dearborn, MI) Bob Glaze (Oakland, CA) Peter Korinis (Miami, FL) Randi Levin (Los Angeles, CA) Hortensia Machado (North Miami, FL) Robb McIntosh (Anaheim, CA) William Oates (Boston, MA) Terry M. Phillis (Philadelphia, PA) Lorrie Rempher (Auburn, WA) Ann Strine (Tucson, AZ) Thomas C. Tourand (Macon, GA) Chris A. Vein (San Francisco, CA)

Fourteen of the nation’s top city Chief Information Officers (CIOs) met in Los Angeles to discuss 311 systems and their role in re-modeling how the city services its citizens. Mayors then joined the CIOs to expand the discussion to digital inclusion and municipal broadband initiatives. The roundtable sessions were held June 24 in conjunction with The U.S. Conference of Mayors 75th Annual Meeting.

Chris Vein, CIO of San Francisco, moderated the CIO-only roundtable discussion, which focused on the San Francisco and Los Angeles 311 systems and their role in enabling the city to improve its internal processes and, in turn, provide improved service to its citizens. Vein gave an overview of San Francisco’s 311 Customer Service Center, which was developed at the request of Mayor Gavin Newsom who believed that those most in need of a 311 system were those “least likely to find their way through this confusing bureaucratic maze.”

San Francisco’s 311 system has met many of its goals by improving customer service, allowing 24/7 access to 24/7 services and providing management reporting, analysis, and accountability. The system now receives twice as many calls as the 911 system on weekdays and expansion of the service is planned.

Randi Levin, a former executive at NBC Universal and current General Manager and Chief Technology Officer of Los Angeles, outlined her city’s 311 call center and echoed the problems San Francisco was having before implementing their 311 system: different service request systems, no standardization, multiple points of contact. Since implementation in 2002, over 1,500 city services can be handled with a single 311 call. With over one million calls annually received by the 311 system, departments now receive fewer calls and many 800 numbers have been discontinued. The service requests are still routed to the departments, but the calls — both Spanish and English — are handled by the system. Expansion of the service is planned.

Mayors joined the CIOs and Miami Mayor Manuel A. Diaz introduced Elevate Miami to his fellow mayors and to the CIOs. Peter Korinis, CIO of Miami, then detailed the initiative, which is a citywide integrated poverty reduction strategy begun in 2002. Given that the percentage of Miami residents with access to computers and the internet is about half the national average, Elevate Miami works to remove obstacles to information age skills and learning for disadvantaged children, seniors and all city residents through partnering with companies like Microsoft, Symantec and Dell.

During the session, Terry Phillis, CIO of Philadelphia, and William Oates, CIO of Boston, detailed the wireless initiatives in their cities. In Philadelphia, Mayor John Street’s “online not in line” philosophy drives the Wireless Philadelphia project, which hopes to provide low-cost, citywide wireless access. The network, created in partnership with Earthlink, is currently operational in 15 square miles of North Philadelphia and, by late fall of this year, the network will be available citywide. Phillis said by creating this low cost, high speed broadband infrastructure, Philadelphia hopes to address critical issues in the community, including equal and affordable access to broadband and lower cost of operations, enhanced public safety and security, and a foundation for growth and competitiveness for the city.

In Boston, Oates reports that the Open Air Boston wireless initiative is in development. Open Air Boston is a non-profit with the designation as a technology partner for the wireless network in Boston. Its working agreement with the city includes the use of critical city assets under a Master Cooperation Agreement, city facilitation of processes to smooth deployment and city relationships with neighborhood organizations. The pilot community for the initiative is in south Boston with plans for full deployment in 2008.

Bob Schassler, Vice President of Government Markets for Motorola, sponsor of the Mayors-CIO roundtable discussion, concluded the session by summarizing its wireless broadband partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department.

The city CIOs will meet again in Miami as part of the Conference’s 76th Annual Meeting in June, 2008. City CIOs interested in the upcoming meeting or in networking with other city CIOs should contact Jim Welfley of the Conference staff at jwelfley@usmayors.org.