 National Association of Counties * Washington, D.C. Vol. 31, No. 12 * June 21, 1999 Previous story | Table of Contents | Next story Counties, cities explore technology By Tom Goodman
"My 2-year-old grandson can turn the PC on, load a disk and play his favorite music," said Buffalo County (Neb.) Supervisor Timothy Loewenstein at the close of the Summit on Governance in a Technological Millennium. Young people today are ready for technology in all aspects of their lives, including government, Loewenstein said. "The question is, ‘Will we be ready?’" the supervisor asked the county and city officials. The technology summit, held on June 3–5 in Chapel Hill, N.C., did not provide participants with an answer to Loewenstein’s question. But the summit did explore the difficult technological issues that governments face, and stressed the importance of technology in the future and how governments can use it to become more effective and efficient. The summit was the idea of NACo President Betty Lou Ward. It was co-sponsored by NACo, the National League of Cities, the International City/County Management Association and Public Technology, Inc. One- hundred county and city officials, officials from other levels of government, business leaders and academics participated in the summit. "The summit provided a great deal of information and discussion of key technology issues," Ward said in conclusion. "What is important is the next step. Each participating organization must energize its membership on technology and stress its importance. And we must continue to work together." The recurring themes heard throughout the summit were the recognition that technology will be a significant factor in the new millennium and that county and city officials must become committed to using technology and be flexible in adapting it. Kay Howell, director of the National Coordination Office for Computing, Executive Office of the President, gave the keynote address, emphasizing the message that the youth of today are tech-savvy. "The class entering college last fall were the last group born in the 1970s," Howell said. "They will be back in cities and counties in three years expecting to use technology." Howell said this fact raises tremendous challenges for governments, but challenges always offer opportunities. Howell also offered some ideas for the "What to Expect" file. She said the federal government is working on the "Next Generation Internet," which is being tested now and will be 100 times faster than 1997’s Internet. A "Super Net" is also in the works, which will be 1,000 times faster. Utah State Sen. Scott N. Howell brought participants back to Earth by reminding them that not everyone is ready for the SuperNet. Some don’t even have computers. Howell pointed out that if we shrunk the Earth’s population to a village of precisely 100 people, using existing population figures and human characteristics and rations, its look would be quite surprising. There would be 57 Asians and 21 Europeans; 70 non-whites and 30 whites; 70 non-Christians and 30 Christians. Additionally, 50 percent of all the wealth would be in the hands of only six people; 80 would live in substandard housing; 70 would be unable to read; 50 would suffer from malnutrition; only one would have a college education, and no one would own a computer. His message: Don’t just focus on the "haves," remember the "have-nots." However, Howell did emphasize that the United States was primed for technology, especially to play an important role in future elections. He cited the election of Jesse Ventura as Minnesota governor as an excellent example. Ventura, he said, engaged and captured the 18–25 age vote through the use of technology. Howell predicted that a theme of future campaigns will be "Online vs. In Line." Those candidates who can effectively use technology to streamline and improve government services will get elected and stay there. The effect of e-commerce on local governments was addressed by Tom Bonnett, author of Governance in the Digital Age. Bonnett stressed the need for state and local government to capture the sales tax on e-commerce. Without that revenue, Bonnett maintained, governments will be hard pressed to deliver services in the future. Frank McDonough, deputy associate administrator of the General Services Administration, called the Internet the "gateway to the government of the future," which will enable "self-service governments" to become a reality. F. Michael Smith, president of F. Michael Smith & Associates, reminded participants of the management aspects of technology. "Small changes at the top (of an organization), may mean big changes at the bottom," Smith said. "You can use technology, but you are going to have to change behavior and approach." Smith concluded by echoing comments by other speakers. Don’t forget young people. Seek their ideas and get them involved. Other speakers at the summit were Jane Smith Patterson, director of the North Carolina Office of Technology, and Edith Holmes, president and CEO of Federal Computer Week. Patterson said strategic planning is on the way out because plans just sit on a shelf. What is really needed, she said, especially with technology, is real option planning. To help participants with their planning, Holmes told the group that after solving the Y2K computer problems, government officials will have to deal with security and privacy issues.
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