Civic Innovations

Next week local government leaders, technologists, entrepreneurs and open government advocates will come together in Manor, Texas to talk about how municipal governments can leverage what is going on in the world of Gov 2.0.

Manor, Texas has been ground zero for some very innovative ideas in municipal government for a while now so it makes perfect sense to gather there. It’s an ideal backdrop to talk about the potential the Gov 2.0 revolution can have for smaller governments across the country and around the world.

In the great big world of government IT, local governments are often thought of as being last to the table to discuss innovative and creative new ways of doing things. Many local governments face acute financial challenges and may lack the technical expertise or breadth of experience to implement large, complex, costly systems.

That doesn’t mean that local governments don’t face the same challenges in providing service to citizens, and some of the more interesting things in the Gov 2.0 universe can be the great levelers in terms of how local governments implement innovative solutions.

This is going to be a great event.

I have the privilege of leading two panel discussions at the Manor.GovFresh event next week – one looking at citizen service and 311 and the other focusing on the benefits of open data. I’m excited to be taking part in an event that will bring together so many people from local governments to talk about innovative approaches to challenging problems, and also to meet some great people in the Gov 2.0 space.

If you care about open government or want to learn how the Gov 2.0 revolution can benefit local governments, you should join us.