Another step towards Open Source Governing?
Back in January I wrote a post entitled, Wishing Lucas County would follow Hamilton County’s lead… based on reading an entry at the Cincinnati Beacon. Hamilton County had taken the step of creating a wiki style directory. The Dean had stated that he hoped that now that the wiki had been created others would take this up within his own community, such as City Council or his three County Commissioners. In reading today’s Blade, Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop has started an online forum which can be found here. Fellow Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken is also going to be blogging. Information from the press release is on the Toledo Free Press.
I’m glad that they are reaching out to the residents of Lucas County, maybe the next step will be to make the website a bit more user friendly. If you take a look at what the website for Hamilton County offers residents the ability to do online, versus what our Lucas County website offers or take a look at what another county provides as eServices in Franklin County… As a supporter of blogs, I’m proud my county has that label of “first” and while I think this is a good start, we still have a ways to go before we provide the same level of online services other counties in Ohio give their residents.
The one common part about the both the Hamilton County web site and the Lucas County web site is the one form of communication they want, mostly, is the telephone.
It is 2007, e-mail is a tool used by business and governments of all stripes and sizes.
March 24th, 2007 at 5:33 pmLisa, I have begun the discussion about wiki-gov’t in Lucas County. I will continue pushing it. Also, I agree our website is in SERIOUS need of an upgrade. I’m pushing this too…
March 24th, 2007 at 5:56 pmBest regards, Ben
Thanks Ben, I know you had stated before you felt that way about the website and I know it is a bit more difficult than adding a blog. Hopefully once our county is more efficient at using the internet to provide services/information to the community maybe the City will finally wake up and follow suit.
March 24th, 2007 at 6:05 pmSee progressivetoledo.blogspot.com for my opinion on people claiming tax dollars as their own. It is relevant to this thread based on the threads on the Lucas County blog.
March 25th, 2007 at 12:39 amMaybe a nit pick point, but maybe the initiative could be called Open Government and not Open Source which tends to imply that we could make changes to it and place them in action.
We still have a government in place that must be dealt with and we cannot make changes en mass without their approval.
I am a firm believer in Open Source Software but Open Source Government is not open as some would like it.
March 25th, 2007 at 7:03 am