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Post by cruzrt on Sept 27, 2005 13:02:29 GMT -5
This (I.T. Advisory) was formed by the Town Council in late 2003. It has about 7 or 8 members, all of whom are Information Technology professionals, who were interviewed for their slots by the Town Manager. I have not seen much of anything coming out of that Committee so far. I do know that the I.T. Committe made a presentation to Concil a few months ago that emphasized the need to hire a Chief Information Officer, who would be in charge of all technology in town government. (This is the way it works thruout the business world). It appears that the approval for hiring a "C.I.O." is bogged down in bureaucratic processes inside Town Hall. A CIO would be able to direct town departments to use technology and would be able to have the most cost effective purchases made of Computer equipment (hardware and software). More importantly, the CIO would be able to get the Town staffs into the 21st century. WHY IS THIS POSITION NOT BEING FILLED? I'd recommend that all conscientuous Wethersfield taxpayers ask these questions of any Council/BOE candidate you come across between now and Election Day.
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Post by Dr.Ken Sokolowski on Feb 18, 2006 17:08:36 GMT -5
Please note that the I.T. committee uses one name for itself and the Clerk's office/Town(?) another:
On the Town's webpage for minutes 2005, there are at least 6 dates for which minutes for the CACIT/WITC have not been posted. To date, there are none posted for this year, 2006.
Brian Clement is the chair of the committee: clemeb@rpi.edu
I had personally addressed the WITC some time after the Council's 1/17/2006 meeting urging them to discuss issues and render advice which would facilitate the collection, publishing, archiving and public accessing of minutes of all boards and commissions. That meeting was attended by Councilor C. Fortunato.
Ms. Therrien's WMR for this Friday, 2/17/2006 reported:
"6.Council Questions/Answers:
...In response to questions raised by Councilor Fortunato at a Shared Services meeting regarding the CIO position, Brian Clement of the Information Technology Committee provided answers in the attached email":
His email, to Councilor C. Fortunato and cc'd to Ms. Therrien, dated 2/16/2006, read in part
"Hi Christine,
Per the request during the Shared Services meeting and your follow-up last evening during the CACIT meeting here are the responses.- What would the reporting structure for the CIO be?
[Answers] Attached is a PowerPoint file with 3 slides. It contains 2 suggestions which I shared with Pat [Dr. Proctor] and Bonnie (Ms. Therrien] during the meeting we had. One structure reporting to the Town Manager with a dotted line to the Superintendent, one reporting to the Superintendent with a dotted line to the Town Manager. I recall that we discussed one with solid lines to both the Town Manager and the Superintendent as well. The 3rd slide (I think) was created as a result of a CACIT meeting we had after the Bonnie/Pat/me meeting. This slide includes the Library in the reporting structure.....
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.
Brian"
I would suggest that if indeed "knowledge (of which information is a vital component) is power", more of us in town need to work with the CACIT/WITC and urge that they urge that information be handled and disseminated more effectively in town.
Power rightfully belongs to the people not just the elected or employed elite.
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Post by macmacriano on Mar 4, 2006 2:29:39 GMT -5
Cruzrt - any more news on the IT group? Budget season is here so i'd suspect there is conversation underway to determine if the CIO position will be filled.
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Post by cruzrt on Mar 25, 2006 10:13:56 GMT -5
Last January, it was stated that the full membership of the BOE wanted to discuss the scope of the CIO position. They've had at least 4 public meetings since then, and they've never uttered a peep. (At least, not a peep that made it into their official minutes). So, this frustrated citizen believes they are stonewalling and will kill the position. They actually did do something; they changed their own part-time technology official to full-time. That's not what that IT Technology recommended; it goes counter to their recomendation. Ho hum; life in the Wethersfield government bureaucracy goes on as usual.
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Post by macmacriano on Mar 26, 2006 4:42:39 GMT -5
Sounds like a power struggle. Arn't there other towns around doing something similar to a town wide CIO? Manchester seems to be very forward thinking, technology wise, and they have a town wide CIO.
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Post by Dr.Ken Sokolowski on Mar 26, 2006 9:56:52 GMT -5
Last January, it was stated that the full membership of the BOE wanted to discuss the scope of the CIO position. They've had at least 4 public meetings since then, and they've never uttered a peep. (At least, not a peep that made it into their official minutes). So, this frustrated citizen believes they are stonewalling and will kill the position. They actually did do something; they changed their own part-time technology official to full-time. That's not what that IT Technology recommended; it goes counter to their recomendation. Ho hum; life in the Wethersfield government bureaucracy goes on as usual.
Let's not just ho hum. Yours are valid concerns. - Perhaps you could ask the Republicans on the BOE to do the digging on this issue.
- Perhaps you could ask several people on the Town's IT committee (off the record of course) to give you his/her perspective on this matter; perhaps you are on that committee (?!)
- perhaps you could be the conduit from concerned people on that committee to this forum.
Please hang in there! |
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Post by oldetowne on Mar 27, 2006 8:58:48 GMT -5
The Board of Education, at least under the Democrats, has consistently and violently opposed any efforts to consolidate services with the town side. The only move in that direction that has actually occurred was the transplanting of the Board's maintenance people to the town garage, but there have been no reduction in workforce or savings to the town due to union (and BOE) resistance. Business as usual....
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Post by SyZyGy on Mar 27, 2006 9:42:14 GMT -5
The Board of Education, at least under the Democrats, has consistently and violently opposed any efforts to consolidate services with the town side. Violently? Like BOE or Union thugs assaulting taxpayers? Or, do you mean something like "viscerally" Like the Oracle's ( Matrix) "b*lls to bones" comment? |
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