As the D.C. government kicks off the 2016 InnoMAYtion initiative to showcase the tech ecosystem and foster community collaboration, it’s a pivotal moment to reflect on what works and double down on the successful engagement with Madison through Drafts.DC.gov. The collaborative momentum D.C. worked hard to put in place can only succeed with more policies and new engagement opportunities across the city government on the platform.
We hope D.C. continues to embrace this resource to take the critical conversation of policymaking into the digital age. When government officials take the step towards citizens to say they are listening and welcome their feedback, great things happen. The city knows this well and has a long history with Madison.
@MattBailey0 @MayorBowser announce the Draft #Opengov #Opendatadc Initiative on https://t.co/2roSXxRp4D @OCTODC pic.twitter.com/0KKuHebgxI
— Julie K Dang (@juliekdang) January 12, 2016
The Office of Open Government piloted a version of our collaborative software in early 2014 and in May 2014, we launched MadisonDC with Councilmember David Grosso, who said, “As we encourage more public engagement in the legislative process, I hope D.C. residents will take a moment to log onto the Madison project.”
The project grew to another branch of local government in January of this year when Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer unveiled Drafts.DC.gov with a draft Open Data Policy. That policy eventually received more than 300 comments and annotations with productive, direct conversations between public officials and private citizens.
In February, the Executive Office of the Mayor, the Office of the City Administrator and the Workforce Investment Council used Drafts.DC.gov to encourage the public to help develop the city’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Courtney Snowden, the Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Opportunity, described Drafts.DC.gov as the “platform for open & transparent engagement on DC policies” and the WIOA policy included charts and visualizations, a first for a Madison instance. That policy eventually received 100+ comments and annotations with civic society helping drive the public to share their voice. The most recent document is a draft of the Guidelines and Procedures from the Office of Public Private Partnerships.
We're releasing a draft Open Data Policy and we need your input. Visit https://t.co/k7sXq7jjjD to learn more.
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) January 12, 2016
For The OpenGov Foundation, getting more users on our Madison platform allows us to improve our software, such as enhancing support for older versions of Internet Explorer. Since Madison is an open source tool, these improvements are shared by all sites powered by the software, all over the world.
Drafts.DC.gov lowered the barriers between D.C. residents and their government and the platform is ready to power even more civic engagement, at no cost to taxpayers. As with all tools for democracy, public engagement and outreach are critical. We hope the city, along with new agencies, departments and members of the Council, embrace this D.C. Madison instance to continue an efficient and effective 21st century government.
The first listed goal for this innoMAYtion month is to “Foster a collaborative environment between the government, residents, and entrepreneurs to improve the lives of District residents.” Madison and Draft.DC.gov is ready for expanded use and we’re eager to keep improving it for all users!
Nicko Margolies is the Communications Director of The OpenGov Foundation.
The post Crossroads for Civic Engagement in D.C. appeared first on The OpenGov Foundation.