California Creates IT Staff Development Position

Estimated at more than 10,000 employees, California’s state government IT workers now have a high–level executive in their corner to help overcome some of the state’s unique challenges. A new Assistant Secretary for Professional Development position within the California Technology Agency will address a technology workforce that’s been hit by hiring freezes, reductions in staffing and budget cuts on training, agency Secretary Carlos Ramos said recently.

As state government increasingly relies on technology, training and developing the state’s workforce is becoming an integral part of making sure the state is prepared, according to Ramos. The new position will address those issues.

“Government is so reliant on technology these days that it’s an exposure and it’s a risk not to do everything that we can to make sure our technology workforce has the skill and the capacity to maintain and operate these systems government relies on,” Ramos said.

Creating a position that will focus on developing the state’s workforce, leveraging resources currently available for training, identifying workforce gaps and finding ways to address those gaps will address a workforce that is aging and has been subject to reductions and freezes, according to Ramos.

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first published week of:   03/26/2012

Charlotte, N.C., Digitizes Commercial Planning Process
by noelle knell

Early last month, an estimated 35,000 attendees swarmed Charlotte, N.C., for the Democratic National Convention. Rather than battle the unavoidable traffic and congestion resulting from the event, employees of the city’s Land Development Division maintained their productivity by teleworking.

Just a couple of years ago, such a strategic move wouldn’t have been possible, explained Brendan Smith, senior engineer in Charlotte’s Land Development Division, which is charged with reviewing and approving commercial development plans.

Until recently, that process was manual and paper-based. About 50 plans come in each month and are reviewed by at least five different offices, which evaluate them for compliance with various city ordinances, including the city’s storm water management program, urban forestry guidelines and erosion control ordinance. Transportation officials review plans for any needed adjustments due to traffic impacts.

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first published week of:   10/22/2012

Charlottesville Virginia Launches New Online Mapping Application

According to newsplex.com, the City of Charlottesville launched a new online mapping program called GIS. It gives people access to detailed mapping information about the city.

“It’s essentially an online web mapping application that will allow our spatial data to be accessible by citizens anytime via web browser,” said GIS Group Leader, Chris Engle.

The online program allows users to access information about the city based on a specific location. There are several main layers to use during a search. Engle states, “They will be able to access their information related to their real estate information, as well as view voting precincts, school districts and different things like that.”

A few other layer include buildings, zoning information, and points of interest, like parks and trails.

Charlottesville’s GIS program can be compared to Google maps but with more specific real-time data for the public. Engle explains, “It’s very similar in a lot of respects to what you see with Google Maps type of programs where you use your mouse to interact. It’s very intuitive.”

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first published week of:   04/16/2012

Chicago CIO Jason DeHaan Steps Down

CIO Jason DeHaan has left the city government, multiple sources have confirmed to Government Technology.

DeHaan was appointed CIO in November 2010, six months before Mayor Rahm Emanuel took office. DeHaan came up through the city ranks, having previously served as Chicago’s deputy CIO for three years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

DeHaan was in charge of the city’s internal IT operations, while Chicago’s digital trio — CTO John Tolva, Chief Data Officer Brett Goldstein and Director of Social Media Kevin Hauswirth — manage innovation and citizen–facing projects.

DeHaan did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on Friday, June 1.

In addition to his public–sector experience, DeHaan has approximately 10 years in private-sector positions. He was chief technology officer of ieLogic, a start–up Internet poker software development company from 2001-2005 and prior to that was a manager with Accenture’s Global Retail Practice.

DeHaan, who holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, also worked as manager of onsite consulting for his undergraduate alma mater, where he helped computerize the class registration system for 40,000 students, faculty and staff.
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first published week of:   06/11/2012

CIO Kazmi Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case

In Wayne County, Mich., former CIO Tahir Kazmi received a recommended sentence from prosecutors of four and a half to six years in prison after pleading guilty July 26, reported the Detroit Free Press. In February, the FBI accused Kazmi, 49, of helping an IT vendor get government contracts in return for cash, trips and other bribes for himself and his family. Also involved in the case was Zayd Alleban, the county’s former director of enterprise applications, who was charged with obstruction of justice. Kazmi “demanded” bribes from the county contractor, FBI Special Agent Robert Beeckman said. Kazmi received between $80,000 and $90,000 in cash, and trips to Hawaii, Orlando and Turkey. The vendor told the FBI that "Kazmi's demands grew over time and included forcing [the vendor] to pay for cellular telephones for Kazmi's children, airline tickets, hotel rooms and other things of value. Kazmi even demanded that [the vendor] give 49 percent of [the vendor's] company to Kazmi's brother-in-law." Follow the story on Detroit Free Press in anin-depth report.

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first published week of:   07/30/2012

CIOs and Feds react to the White House's Digital Government Strategy

Obama Administration's new Digital Government Strategy is not as widely known as it should be. The pundits, writers and self-appointed gurus know about it, but do the people who will be impacted by it, really like it? In Emily Jarvis’ recent blog at govloop.com, she answers some of those questions by recapping recent comments by some government CIOs. Make sure you read the entire blog since it provides links to the full description of the strategy and audio of important discussions. Abstract: Wyatt Kash is the editorial director of AOL Government. He moderated an all-star panel of government CIOs. Kash asked each of the panelist what makes this strategy new and different.

1. Michael Byrne - Chief Geographic Officer, FCC - The goal of this strategy is to get the public data anywhere, anytime on any device. That's really never been done before. It also has actionable steps and a timeline for success. And most importantly all data is content. There is not separate but equal when it comes to what is and isn't content.
2. Sheila Campbell - Director, Center for Excellence in Digital Government, GSA - The focus is on content not just technology. It emphasizes what the community needs then gives us an outline to get that done. The tight fiscal budget changes the way we do business, we have to innovate with less and share services.
3. Rick Holgate - Chief Information Officer, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - It's a much bolder strategy than the ones that came before but it has practical steps. It really encourages us to think differently.
4. Richard Spires - Chief Information Officer, Department of Homeland Security; Vice-chair, Federal CIO Council - Inter-agency cooperation is hard work. This strategy gives us specific milestones that force us to play together well. We have a chance to get it right.