| I'm writing this on a train barreling northward into the belly of the beast - Albany. All melodrama aside, I'm writing this to tell you about what I'm now doing and, perhaps most importantly, why I'm doing it. I've accepted the job of Director of New Media Communications with the New York State Senate. Before the words "selling out" cross your lips, let me tell you why I believe I am "buying in."
When we started this site in 2006, we did so because we believed that the state government in Albany was, amongst other things, dysfunctional and opaque. Over the years I and others have relentlessly critiqued the lack of transparency in the way our government goes about the business of serving those whom they were elected to represent.
The majority of the remedies needed to facilitate a more open and transparent government are policy and process based, but a great number of them are grounded in using technology. I'm happy to report that I think great strides are being made in that arena. I've written some about the work that Andrew Hoppin, the Senate's new CIO, and his team are working to open up that body using new media tools. After seeing them working up close, I feel confident in saying that they are doing a hell of a job, building some amazing tools and working their tails off to bring tons of data that belongs to the people of New York to the light of day. (The first big rollout will be the new Senate website.It will blow the doors off the current Senate site. Trust me, it'll be a quantum leap.)
So, I've decided to put my money where my mouth is. Instead of critiquing the Senate's new media efforts from the sidelines, I am signing on to make these efforts as effective and as useful to the public as they possibly be. Instead of complaining from the sidelines about an institution that has historically hidden data bought and paid for by the people of New York, I am joining the effort to free that data.
And that's why I call it "buying in." It's easy to heckle from the cheap seats. It's quite another to take some responsibility for this stuff and work like a dog to make things better. Besides working with Andrew Hoppin and his CIO team, I'll also be working with another TAP alum, our very own Brian Keeler. One can only accomplish so much from the sidelines and this opportunity to work to diminish the space between people and the government that serves them was one that I simply could not pass up.
What does this all mean for this site? A few things. From the very start, we have very consciously and deliberately strived to build a community. I think we've done quite well in that regard. Just as before, people other than myself will continue to post to the FP. I'm not going away. I'll still be here, but, given the not insignificant demands of the job I've taken, I simply won't have as much time to post as often as I typically have. I'll still be posting, just not as much. I also, for reasons I hope are obvious, won't be posting about the State Senate often either. I see this as a great opportunity to develop and promote more talent from within our community.
Furthermore, and this is rather important, when you see me posting in this space, be assured that I am speaking for no one other than myself. This is the way it has always been and the way it will continue. The thoughts and opinions I post here under my own name are my own and I alone am responsible for them. Period.
I am very much looking forward to this new adventure and for the work I am being tasked to do. Using these new tools to open up our state government, to foster real two way communication between our elected officials and those they were elected to represent, making the data that New Yorkers have bought and paid for available to them in an easy to digest and useful manner -- these are the things that I have been advocating for for years. To be able to move inside and get my hands dirty at actually achieving these things is quite an honor and a privilege. |
