Sometimes in politics, timing is more important than intent. In a summer of setbacks on Seattle’s most progressive issues including the approved and then un-approved homelessness crisis tax on big businesses, the latest in a long line of Mayor Jenny Durkan’s new City Hall committees is drawing plenty of cynicism. Here’s the announcement live from Zillow headquarters of the mayor’s new Innovation Advisory Council to address the city’s “most urgent challenges” —
At Zillow Group in Seattle, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan signed an Executive Order to launch the City’s first ever Innovation Advisory Council. With initial commitments by Amazon, Artefact Group, Expedia Group, Flying Fish, Microsoft, Tableau, Technology Access Foundation, Washington Technology Industry Association, and Zillow Group, Mayor Durkan will bring together some of the region’s most innovative companies and organizations to address the City’s most urgent challenges. Through this Executive Order, Mayor Durkan is establishing the Innovation Advisory Council, a new collaboration with Seattle’s technology community that will better highlight technology solutions to help with our homelessness and affordability crisis.
“Seattle is a city that has always invented the future. Working together, we have to seize the opportunity to address our shared challenges in new and innovative ways. Seattle and the surrounding Puget Sound region have the most innovative companies, right here in our own backyard. Bringing them together to address our pressing affordability crises will help us find and implement long-lasting, positive change that will help to improve our City,” Durkan said in the press release.
A plan to disrupt homelessness and create a new “public safety app” or ten, critics squawked.
Durkan announces new PAC Prime™️ Premium Tier https://t.co/ypLO2d8Thz
— Brett Hamil (@BrettHamil) August 2, 2018
Oh good, finally, someone to come Disrupt Homelessness. https://t.co/zA6rpLAGgU
— Hanna Brooks Olsen (@mshannabrooks) August 2, 2018
Also known as the Let Them Eat Cake Council. https://t.co/v7wGYTUi1S
— Mattilda B Sycamore (@mbsycamore) August 2, 2018
In my experience this can be incredibly disempowering and disrespectful to those working in government who already know what to do but are stopped from doing it. https://t.co/9JxbYDAmqQ
— dan hon (@hondanhon) August 3, 2018
As always, there's an XKCD for that. https://t.co/RymHgcN4kh pic.twitter.com/sKnCv1d6fT
— Jim Gaynor (@jimgaynor) August 3, 2018
I want to feel something besides intense dread for this, but I’ve worked in tech too long. https://t.co/IlYdqpPvag
— brian wisti (@brianwisti) August 3, 2018
According to the mayor’s office, the Innovation Advisory Council “will act as an advisor on issues and policies affecting the City, where data and technology solutions could be of benefit.”
Specifically, the IAC will focus on issue identification, policy recommendations, and project implementation of technology solutions including new data analytics, dashboards, applications, and software for the City. Members and their businesses will commit to helping deliver these technology solutions.
The committee’s co-chairs are Aman Bhutani, President for Brand Expedia Group, Andrew Beers, Chief Technology Officer for Tableau, Trish Millines Dziko, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Technology Access Foundation, and Tonya Peck, Senior VP and General Manager for Artefact Group.
While other committees formed by Durkan represent groups with what seem to bring underrepresented viewpoints and needs to City Hall including the Capitol Hill-heavy small business council, it’s going to take some major disruption to convince anyone that the city’s tech industry doesn’t already have the mayor’s ear.
Want to join the club? The IAC is planned to be “comprised of community members and businesses from across the city with an expertise in technology solutions, transportation and mobility, logistics, project management, engineering, data analytics, and/or software development.” The group also hopes to “prioritize participation by under-represented businesses and community members including women, immigrants, refugees, people of color, and the LGBTQ community.” You can email the city to learn more about getting involved.
Who used the word “disrupt” in relation to our homelessness issue?
The homeless will now have annual reviews, the bottom 10% will be riffed, and anyone over 45 will be aged out. Thank you tech industry !
After the city’s utterly disastrous and ineffective response, bringing in outside help can’t hurt.
Other than a limited scale success I read about in Salt Lake City awhile back, has any city successfully addressed homelessness? I haven’t seen any other success stories.
It depends what you mean by addressed. If you mean ensured that no one becomes homeless, then no.
If you mean managed to get most people off the street, then yes. Most cities have managed that considerably better than we have. Boston has only about 200 people on the street. Cities with mild winter weather like Miami and Houston have only about 1000. NYC has 3600, slightly more than half the 6000+ people we have on the street, even though the city is 10 times as big and housing is way more expensive relative to incomes.
The difference is policy. The approach used on the West Coast does not work.
As far as the idea that this is a technology problem, 🙄 If only.