Cities Awarded for Innovations in American Government
by Laura Turner
A groundbreaking initiative to halt the impact of global warming, one of the nation’s most sophisticated information systems, and an anti-drug strategy that offers offenders help in finding employment have won top honors this year in the Innovations in American Government Awards program administered by Harvard University’s Roy and Lila Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
Seattle’s citywide Climate Protection Initiative, Chicago’s Citizen and Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting (CLEAR) system and High Point, North Carolina’s Overt Drug Market Strategy received $100,000 grants to support the sharing of their best practices with other jurisdictions.
Florida’s Automated Community Connection to Economic Self-Sufficiency (ACCESS) and King County, Washington’s Electronic Court Records program round out this year’s honorees.
The awards were presented at a gala 20th anniversary dinner sponsored by NLC Corporate Partner IBM. The event launched a year-long celebration that will include conferences, meetings and research activities.
Seattle has reigned in sprawl with smart growth policies, one of a number of programs that have reduced carbon dioxide emissions and fossil fuel consumption. Public works department vehicles and regional buses now run on biodiesel fuels.
The municipally owned electric utility has undertaken alternative energy investment programs and encouraged cruise ships to plug into the city’s climate-neutral electric supply while docked in Elliott Bay.
By streamlining the administrative side of police work, thereby freeing Chicago officers to spend more time on the street, CLEAR has added the equivalent of 700 officers to the force, according to department estimates.
Built by department members, CLEAR is credited as the primary factor in the city’s decreasing crime rates. The system encourages civic participation in deterring crime; citizens can submit crime tips on-line and access crime mapping information.
High Point community leaders publicly confront street-level drug dealers and offer viable lifestyle alternatives. Neighborhood support organizations then help them obtain jobs, transportation, food and shelter.
The law enforcement/community partnership has brought a 35 percent decrease in violent crime in neighborhoods formerly crippled by the drug trade. Businesses are returning to the area and residents can now safety walk the streets.
ACCESS Florida automates the process of applying for public assistance benefits such as food stamps and Medicaid. The Department of Children and Families reports $83 million in annual cost savings despite a 600,000 increase in benefit applicants over the last four years.
King County’s Electronic Court Records program designates the electronic document as the official case record and offers 24-hour, simultaneous desktop access to judges, clerks, attorneys and the public.
“These programs demonstrate that government on all levels can achieve scalable solutions to pressing global issues,” said Stephen Goldsmith, the former Indianapolis mayor who directs the Innovations program at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
The winning programs were chosen from nearly 1,000 applicants. Fifty semi-finalists were named in March. Eighteen finalists were chosen in April to make presentations before a selection committee chaired by Kennedy School Professor of Public Service David Gergen.
Federal, state, local, tribal and territorial programs in all policy areas are eligible to apply. Applicants are judged on their novelty, effectiveness in achieving tangible results, success in addressing a problem of public concern, and transferability to other jurisdictions or policy areas.
The Innovations Awards were launched in 1985 by the Ford Foundation, which in 2001 endowed the program in perpetuity.
The application deadline for the 2008 Innovations Awards, including the Annie E. Casey Foundation award in children and family system reform, is October 15. To apply, visit www.innovationsaward.harvard.edu. Applications submitted after this deadline will be considered for the 2009 competition.
Details: Kate Hoagland, Ash Institute, at (617) 495-4347 or katherine_hoagland@ksg.harvard.edu
For information on the winning city programs:
Seattle: Marty McOmber, office of the mayor, at (206) 684-8358 or martin.mcomber@seattle.gov
Chicago: Monique Bond, police department, at (312) 746-6000 or Monique.bond@chicagopolice.org
High Point: Lt. Ken Steele, police department, at (336) 887-7927 or ken.steele@highpointnc.gov
Annie E. Casey Innovations Award in Children and Family System Reform
A physician-led Medicaid managed care program of local provider networks serving 750,000 patients has earned the second annual Annie E. Casey Innovations Award in Children and Family System Reform for the State of North Carolina.
Community Care takes a collaborative approach to meeting the health care needs of low-income families while also addressing issues in child development, dental access and disparities in care. These diverse facets of an individual Medicaid beneficiary’s care plan are overseen by a local care manager.
“Community Care is really the centerpiece of North Carolina’s statewide health care strategy,” said Gov. Mike Easley. “When patients are healthier, they do not end up in hospitals. That improves their quality of life and saves us money.”
The $100,000 prize was given at the Innovations in American Government Awards ceremony.
Details: Debbie Crane, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, at (919) 733-9190 or debbie.crane@ncmail.net
Fannie Mae Foundation Innovations Award in Affordable Housing
Genessee County, Michigan’s Urban Land Reform Initiative, which connects tax foreclosure with management and disposition of vacant and abandoned property to stabilize neighborhoods, has won the final Fannie Mae Foundation Innovations Award in Affordable Housing.
The self-sustaining land bank has demolished more than 800 abandoned structures, sold 500 side yards to adjacent property owners and reconstructed 90 affordable rentals and 80 single-family homes. An individualized case manager offers foreclosure prevention assistance to county homeowners.
“What we’ve done is taken systems that generally haven’t worked well in isolation and linked them together,” said County Treasurer Dan Kildee.
The $100,000 prize was given at the Innovations in American Government Awards ceremony.
Details: Dan Kildee at (810) 257-3024 or dkildee@sbcglobal.net IBM Innovations Award in Transforming Government
A 10-year reinvention undertaken by the Republic of Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education (ITE) has earned it the special IBM Innovations Award in Transforming Government.
As the educational institution of last resort for the bottom quarter of secondary school graduating classes and with an irrelevant curriculum, ITE had earned the nickname “It’s The End.” By recruiting a higher-skilled teaching staff and instituting a curriculum addressing the latest innovations in high technology, ITE has evolved into a world-renowned vocational school.
“Throughout this process, we have remained steadfast and focused in our desire to transform the lives of our students for the better, by providing them with relevant technical and social skill sets that will best prepare them for high-paying jobs and further education,” said ITE Director Bruce Poh.
The $100,000 prize was given at the Innovations in American Government Awards ceremony.
Details: Sabrina Loi at 65 9669 1692 or Sabrina_Loi@ite.edu.sg
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