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Elizabeth's Well Kept Technology Secret

New Jersey city makes technology the fabric of government under leadership of savvy mayor and council

ELIZABETH, N.J. -- In 1993 Mayor J. Christian Bollwage walked beneath the stately columns that are the portal to City Hall in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and stepped into history that dated back to 1664 when the territory was purchased from indigenous people for "20 fathoms of trading cloth, two 'made' coats, two guns, two kettles, ten bars of lead, 20 handsful of powder, and 400 fathoms of white wampum," according to historical records.

But, along with inheriting this quaint history, Bollwage, now in his third term as mayor of one of the most densely populated cities in the state, discovered some antiquated technology. "We had no desktops when I took office," Bollwage said. "We had a huge mainframe that spit out tax bills and I thought we should do better than that."

Technology Agenda
Although Bollwage did not have a background in technology, he had an appreciation of its potential and, conveniently, a professor-friend with highly developed technology skills who served as his mentor. The transformation did not happen overnight, but as the years passed, City Hall and its public servants have both feet firmly in the 21st century. Today, everyone has a desktop, e-mail and Internet access. And, the city operates like a well 'wired' machine.

"Our payrolls and our tax bills are all done in-house and much quicker than ever done before," Bollwage said. "We have a police communications system that we believe is matched by only a few cities in the country. We have laptop computers in police cars. We have a microchip in each police car that can identify where each police car is." The city's communications center displays a map that tracks the movement of police cruisers for the most efficient response to emergency calls.

But, technology is not only a tool for the internal operations of Elizabeth's government, according to the mayor. "We are now doing a reverse 911 system," he said, "which will notify any immediate area of criminal activity -- anything we need to tell the constituents about."

Access to government has also improved with all law library and historical records automated by the city clerk. The minutes of city council meetings are available on the Internet, along with numerous online services from city departments. Technology is also being used as a tool for economic development.

"We're creating a fiber optic system now that will tie in our downtown and all the government buildings all over the county seat -- Elizabeth is the fourth largest city in New Jersey," the mayor explained. "This fiber optic system will connect all of the city and county buildings. It will connect the junior college and the hospital ... and will have the ability to connect the downtown business community. This fiber optic system will eventually attract more technologically advanced businesses to our city." Elizabeth's public libraries are already equipped with 220 computers and free access to the Internet.

More is Better
Bollwage wants to push the tech envelope even further. He thinks cities can save millions of dollars if they start using the Internet to market themselves. "I am part of a movement that says municipalities should be advertising on Web sites instead of in newspapers," he said. "I strongly believe that municipalities can save hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars a year, by advertising contracts or public meetings on Web sites."

Naturally, the evolution from file cabinets and paper-based processes to the Internet involved more than technology. Bollwage, like other savvy executives in government, is quick to admit that was the easy part compared to the culture change that accompanies the adoption of technology. "The ability to advance technology-wise has come with a lot of education of staff. I always point to this one woman -- she is retired now. We put a desktop on her desk and she insisted on using the manual typewriter. And, no matter how much we tried to educate her .... she refused and eventually she retired," Bollwage said. "It was that kind of dynamic that occurred in the 90s. There were those who chose to go with the technological advances and those who chose not to."

Fortunately, the city council was not a wall of resistance. "The council as a whole (outside of a little political opposition) has always supported technology," he said. "We spent millions on it and, frankly, we're in a much better position now." Bollwage estimates the city has invested about $20 million over the past decade.

Bollwage said the city has realized some RIO, but cost savings was not the motivator. "The vision was great efficiency and better services and having city hall personnel produce more during the course of their work hours," Bollwage said. "The initial savings were minimal because of the investment. But the savings are now coming forth."

Tough Times
Elizabeth, like other cities, is under the financial gun this year. But, the mayor feels the previous investment in IT made a difference with how the city is handling its deficit. "We are struggling this year," he admitted. "But technology has helped us because even though we have fewer personnel, we are working smarter." He specifically cited the ability of law enforcement personnel to respond faster and with far greater efficiency than it had in the past. In fact, Bollwage says that technology in police cars ought to be a "requirement."

Elizabeth has been able to support its technology investment in tough times largely because it is bonded and the expenditure does not come out of the city's operating budget. Bollwage says that gives the city an opportunity to adopt new technology as it becomes available. And, he expects city personnel to be on the look out for new models that can push Elizabeth even further down the road. "Anyone who is hired is hired with the perception that they will be technologically handy," he said, adding that the city's tech-savvy culture has been a "well kept secret." Nonetheless, a number of mayors from across the United States have come to Elizabeth to see technology in action. "We are proud to export it," Bollwage said.

Since technology has been woven into the mayor's political agenda -- and that of council members' -- Elizabeth's elected officials don't underestimate its political potential. "You can't touch it or feel it," said Bollwage, "but technology is paramount to success in government."