Smart Government – Page 10

Pregnancy Fairness

Problem

Pregnant employees, employees seeking to become pregnant, and those recovering from childbirth are forced to choose between their reproductive decisions and their livelihoods. Workers are subjected to conditions that can harm their opportunity for a healthy pregnancy or have to work a schedule that does not allow them to attend necessary appointments. Their employers are not providing the flexibility or workplace modifications needed to ensure that these workers can sustain a healthy pregnancy and remain productive at work. Additionally, partners of pregnant employees are often unable to provide the physical and emotional support to their partner due to lack of scheduling flexibility at their own jobs.

Solution

I authored a bill to expand protections against employment discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, & related medical conditions & events. Under this legislation, which passed unanimously in City Council & was signed into law by Mayor William Peduto, pregnant employees, those seeking to become pregnant, those recovering from childbirth, & their partners are provided recourse to file a claim against their employer with the City of Pittsburgh’s Commission on Human Relations (CHR) if they feel they’ve been discriminated against. I partnered with the CHR to release a Guidance Document to help both employers & employees understand their responsibility under the law and empower employers to prevent discrimination from ever happening.

Open Nassau: Nassau County’s Transparency Hub

Problem

Under previous administrations, Nassau County received a D+ grade in transparency in the face of multiple corruption scandals. In 2018, Jack Schnirman was elected County Comptroller with a promise to clean up local government, break up the backroom deals, and restore public trust in our institutions by allowing every member of the public to see how government operates.

Solution

Open Nassau includes a series of open-data web portals that explore different aspects of the County finances. Open Checkbook first launched in January 2019 and allows the public to see how Nassau County pays the tens of thousands of bills to vendors through a searchable platform. Open Payroll gives the public an opportunity to explore how the County’s payroll is distributed across departments and titles. Open Budget and Open Finance provide easy-to-understand breakdowns and summaries of the County’s approved budget and end-of-year finances, including the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. These platforms work together in tandem to make information more accessible to the public.

Mobile Mayor

Problem

Most residents do not know what is going on in the City, lack trust in their local government, and face systemic barriers to appropriate access to city services and resources.

Solution

As part of Mayor Schaaf’s Trustworthy & Responsive Government priority area, this is an opportunity for diverse Oaklanders to talk about anything directly with their Mayor and be linked to staff, resources and services in a one-on-one setting.

LouTechWorks

Problem

Today, Louisville has about 79 percent of the tech jobs it should have for a city of its size, and the economy of the future will require significantly more jobs in software development, artificial intelligence, and data analytics. LouTechWorks seeks to meet those demands by quintupling the city’s projected tech job growth over the next few years. The Brookings Institution recently identified 28 percent of Louisville’s jobs are at high risk of automation, and LouTechWorks plans to bring government, public and higher education, philanthropy, nonprofit and corporate leadership together to mitigate the automation risk. The focus on technology jobs is key, as they typically pay well, are fast growing, and are less susceptible to automation.

Solution

LouTechWorks aims to maximize the local technology talent pipeline and ensure people are digitally literate and trained to be competitive and obtain technology jobs, from kindergarten through career. We have already secured commitments from Jefferson County Public Schools, Jefferson County’s largest school district with 100,000 students, and 7 higher education institutions to add or enhance programs, expand enrollment, and bolster Esports programs and scholarships. We are also including corporate and non-profit partners, to create a seamless, cohesive tech ecosystem.

Streamlining San Francisco’s Restaurant Permit Program

Problem

A major driver of the slow restaurant permit process was that first-time applicants were repeatedly asked for the same information on different permit forms across several City agencies. The delay in permitting review meant increased costs for the businesses along with significant frustration and counter-productive work effort by city staff from each department who were required to separately reach out to obtain necessary information to fulfill their review. This could delay the application review process by days or weeks. The old process also involved hard copy referrals to Zoning and Fire departments. Restaurant permit applicants were stifled with a prolonged process and wait times that could become prohibitively expensive.

Solution

We used technological innovation to improve San Francisco’s restaurant permitting process. This offers restaurant entrepreneurs a seamless experience. An applicant seeking a restaurant permit can use the information provided to the Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector to pre-populate and standardize the information needed by the other agencies involved in the restaurant permitting process. Staff can view and easily update information on a multi-dimensional application and make referrals to other departments such as fire and zoning all with a mere click of a button.

Staycationland: Co-working Spaces Revolutionize Tourism and Remote Employment

Problem

Maine is a rural state with a massive influx of visitors in the summer months. As our world becomes more and more digitized, the ability to work from home is a real possibility for many individuals. This includes those who visit Maine to enjoy our natural beauty, as found at Acadia National Park, the national monument at Katahdin, our many lakes, beaches, and ski resorts. Coworking spaces provide Mainers with the opportunity to avoid long commutes to office spaces, visitors with the ability to extend vacations for a few more days, and entrepreneurs with inexpensive space to generate their next venture.

Solution

In our ever-evolving digital world, businesses exist in many shapes and forms. Collaborative workspaces provide opportunities for start-ups to grow without the expense of costly and perhaps unnecessary traditional office space. In addition, professionals in these spaces often share ideas, best practices and expenses. It is no secret that Maine faces challenges with retaining and attracting young people to live and work here. These spaces are sought after by young professionals and are increasingly the cornerstones for communities revitalizing vacant spaces in downtowns. The Coworking Development Fund provides critical funding for the creation of more spaces in communities across Maine.

The Law Enforcement Trust and Transparency Act (LETT Act)

Problem

Police-involved deaths are frequently in the national headlines. Where racial profiling and bias in policing is common, this is the worst possible outcome. In Montgomery Co., the impetus for the passage of the LETT Act was the June 11, 2018 shooting death of Robert White, an unarmed 41-year-old resident with a known history of mental health issues, at the hands of a county police officer. In a case where racial profiling and bias played a role, police attempted to stop Mr. White as he walked near his Silver Spring home, killing him in a parking lot during the confrontation. We need to create more trust and transparency in the aftermath of these incidents, not just for the rights of residents but for the safety of law enforcement officers.

Solution

The LETT Act mandates independent investigations and a public report following any police-involved death. This will rebuild the trust lost between local law enforcement and the community — a critical bridge to promote community policing, and reducing crime before it occurs. The LETT Act addresses rebuilds trust between police and the community by requiring new levels of transparency in a critical area: deadly force. Investigators from an independent law enforcement entity deliver their findings to the County State’s Attorney where if charges not be brought, a public report out will occur. Our residents deserve to know what happened in these cases, and we should embrace outside investigations to protect against the potential for bias.

This Is Nassau

Problem

Minority communities experience inequities in entrepreneurship, educational attainment, employment, income, homeownership, and access to credit. However, policymakers lack understanding of the scope of the issue and therefore do not have adequate solutions to address it. County residents pay some of the highest taxes in the country and they expect government services to reflect the price tag. As our population changes, and becomes older and more diverse, government must change with it to meet the needs of the new demographics and retain the next generation. The This Is Nassau report series explores the changing demographics of our county and raises policy questions about how government must respond to better serve our changing populations.

Solution

Our recently launched Policy and Research Unit is designed to produce reports to inform the public and our local policymakers on demographic trends and racial economic equity. Whether at the village, town, county, state, or federal level, reports and public engagement meetings are the groundwork to much-needed action.

Transparent and Community-Oriented Opp Zone Investments

Problem

Opportunity Zones were created as part of the federal tax overhaul by the United States Congress at the end of 2017. The Opportunity Zone program is meant to encourage private investment in underserved communities across the United States by providing federal tax incentives for investors who invest in real estate projects, or operate businesses in these communities. While there is an incentive to invest through reductions, or complete forgiveness of taxes on reinvested capital gains, there are virtually no mechanisms to ensure responsible development written into the federal tax code.

Solution

SB 581 establishes the Opportunity Zone Enhancement Program, to be administered by the Department of Commerce. Qualifying businesses investing in projects located in an opportunity zone may qualify for enhanced incentives under the a number of existing MD tax credit.

Those enhanced incentives are broken down into Level 1 (2.5% increased incentive) and Level 2 (10% increased incentive).
Level 1 Enhancements – Opportunity Zone Funds would have to demonstrate transparency by disclosing key information like the amount and date of investment, address of the project, and progress on qualitative/quantitative benefits the project will provide to the community.
Level 2 Enhancements – Opportunity Zone Fund investment project sponsors must meet Lev

NewDEALers Rise to Higher Office

While 2019 may have been an “off-year” in the national political dialogue, NewDEAL Leaders continued to earn higher offices, including seven new mayors whose forward-looking visions and practical solutions for their communities resonated with Americans across the country. The most recent winner, Lauren McLean, who previously served as a city councilmember, will be sworn in Tuesday after defeating the city’s long-time incumbent in December. She joins Kate Gallego (Phoenix), Eric Johnson (Dallas), Leirion Gaylor Baird (Lincoln, NE), Quinton Lucas (Kansas City, MO), Steven Reed (Montgomery, AL) and Brandon Whipple (Wichita, KS), as NewDEALers elected mayor in the past year. The NewDEAL also congratulates former Albany Councilmember Dr. Dorcey Applyrs, who was sworn in as Chief City Auditor on January 1, having received an appointment by fellow NewDEALer Mayor Kathy Sheehan.

Pregnancy Fairness

Problem

Solution

Open Nassau: Nassau County’s Transparency Hub

Problem

Solution

Mobile Mayor

Problem

Solution

LouTechWorks

Problem

Solution

Streamlining San Francisco’s Restaurant Permit Program

Problem

Solution

Staycationland: Co-working Spaces Revolutionize Tourism and Remote Employment

Problem

Solution

The Law Enforcement Trust and Transparency Act (LETT Act)

Problem

Solution

This Is Nassau

Problem

Solution

Transparent and Community-Oriented Opp Zone Investments

Problem

Solution

NewDEALers Rise to Higher Office

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