TKC NOTE: Here's more info from one of the few Kansas City candidates to offer a detail on future plans for the next four years. Take a look:
Klein Proposes Technology Ideas to Help Engage and Inform Citizens
(Kansas City, MO) Candidate for City Council, 6th District (in-district) Henry Klein made two proposals recently to a local civic group, The Citizens Association. In that presentation, Klein outlined two technology ideas to help engage voters under his banner of Smart, Bold Ideas for the 6th District.
The first was a city sponsored and developed smartphone app. "Currently we have a 311 service where you can either call or go to the web and try to get answers to common questions. 311 is an important service but it could be dramatically enhanced via the creation of a city app," Klein said. The idea is to allow citizens to download the app and then respond to some specific questions regarding information they want pushed back to them via the app. Klein commented in the presentation that, "the app would compel city hall to ask itself what services are we providing for our citizens and which ones might people want to be continuously informed about."
Such services that people might want to know about would include routine things such as trash holidays but could also provide information on special internships for students or city sponsored events or it could even allow citizens to report pot holes or graffiti via their phones camera. (Please see http://www.lacity.org/myla-311-smartphone-mobile-application and http://www.cityofboston.gov/doit/apps/citizensconnect.asp)
Klein also outlined that such tools as KCStat (https://kcstat.kcmo.org/) could be both better explained to the public via the app and equally important the app could be used to help in data collection. "This has the potentially to really positively impact people's daily lives over time," Klein said.
In a second proposal, Klein outlined the idea of allowing residents to be able to use their smartphones in municipal elections. Klein was careful to propose this as a beta test first and commented that there are real issues to work out but with such low voter turnout, something needs to be done. Klein went on to say, "no business would accept getting only 10% market-share when they knew it could be 20 or 30 or even higher. We are currently undergoing an ongoing crisis is civic involvement where the model is broken. We are forcing citizens to come to us when the new business model needs to be that we come to them."
Both ideas play very well into the narrative of Kansas City becoming a true mid-western technology hub.
For more information go to www.votehenryklein.com or visit us on facebook at www.facebook.com/votehenryklein or contact us at votehenryklein@gmail.com.
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KC has zero chance of becoming a tech hub.
ReplyDeleteHis lead ideas are an app? And being able to vote via phone in a way that he hasn't even begun to figure out how to technologically prevent fraud?
ReplyDeleteWe don't need city council deciding agendas based upon ten or twenty idiots giving them feedback on a phone app.
ReplyDeleteNot a chance I've already heard reports talking about the biometric scanner they have in the iPhone to use to take your thumbprints ... There's a new thing out right now -- Hairgate. When you stick your phone up to your ear and pull back, it takes out a chunk. That's a hair follicle. What is Apple up to? This is crazy. It's mindblowing that they're doing this. And is it on purpose? Is this by accident? Who knows? But we'll let you decide whether or not iPhone is trying to take your personal DNA or they're making crappy phones.
ReplyDeleteIs he related to that one-eyed loch ness monster at City Hall, Patrick Klein of the Public Works (or lack thereof) Department?
ReplyDeleteLMFAO. Speaking of Pat Klein, I want his $180,000 assistant city manager job of trolling the blogs. Can someone say easy money.
ReplyDeleteKC has so many problems like infrastructure and crime and Klein's big idea is an app?
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