Best of the Web Award Winners Announced

Folsom, Calif. -- Winners of the 2005 Best of the Web awards (BOW) were announced by the Center for Digital Government at the 10th annual awards dinner in Las Vegas, Nevada. The BOW is an annual awards program that recognizes the most innovative, user-friendly state and local government portals. This national awards program judges state, city and county Web sites on their innovation, Web-delivery of public services, efficiency, economy, and functionality for improved citizen access. Portals have proven themselves as the front line of government transparency and responsiveness, making public information and services easier to find and easier to use, says Cathilea Robinett, the executive director of the Center for Digital Government, The Center is pleased to recognize the sustained excellence of public portals in serving citizens in states and localities across the country. State portal category winners: 1st Place: State of Delaware (http://delaware.gov) 2nd Place: State of Tennessee (www.tennessee.gov) 3rd Place: State of Indiana (www.state.in.us) 4th Place: State of Washington (http://access.wa.gov) 5th Place: Commonwealth of Virginia (www.virginia.gov) Secretary of Technology and Information, Thomas Jarrett commented, We are pleased and honored to be selected as the winning state portal in the Best of the Web contest. Delaware's website is a unique e-government partnership between our Secretary of State's office and our Department of Technology and Information (DTI). The Best of the Web award is a tribute to the exemplary work of talented staff members in both DTI and the Secretary of State's office. City portal category winners: 1st Place: Washington, D.C. (www.dc.gov) 1st Place: City of New Orleans, Louisiana (www.cityofno.com) 2nd Place: City of Virginia Beach, Virginia (wwww.vbgov.com) 3rd Place: City of Tampa, Florida (www.TampaGov.net) 4th Place: City of Seattle, Washington (www.seattle.gov) 5th Place: New York City, New York (http://www.nyc.gov) The District of Columbia is home to 560,000 residents and 100,000 businesses, and we host millions of visitors each year, said District of Columbia Chief Technology Officer Suzanne Peck. Our goal is to provide all of them the broadest, fastest, and easiest access possible to information and services via our web portal. As winner of the BOW in 2003 and again this year, we can truly say we've met our goal. We're honored and delighted to receive this important award. New Orleans Chief Technology Officer Greg Meffert said, We are proud to be recognized by the Center for Digital Government. The Mayor's Office of Technology is constantly searching for ways to improve our online offerings for the citizens of New Orleans, and competitions like the BOW give us an opportunity to focus on improvement. In the weeks since Hurricane Katrina cityofno.com has been a vital link between government and our dispersed citizenry and we have learned a number of lessons regarding the value of using interactive technology in the management of our city both in times of crisis and to perform the everyday functions of any municipality. County portal category winners: 1st Place: Hennepin County, Minnesota (www.hennepin.us) 2nd Place: Fairfax County, Virginia (www.fairfaxcounty.gov) 3rd Place: Orange County, Florida (www.ocfl.net) 4th Place: King County, Washington (www.metrokc.gov) 5th Place: Fulton County, Georgia (www.co.fulton.ga.us) Hennepin County has consistently been a leader in technology, said Hennepin County Board Chair Randy Johnson. We are expanding e-government for greater customer convenience. We are reducing county transaction costs and increasing staff productivity. We are proud to receive this award. The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. The Center is a business division of e.Republic, Inc., a publishing, media and research firm based in Folsom, CA. See eRepublic's website at www.erepublic.com. This year's DGAA and BOW programs are sponsored by Akamai, CDW-G, Gateway, Hummingbird, Smart Technologies and Symantec. For more information on the programs or the Center for Digital Government, contact Blia Vang at bvang@centerdigitalgov.com.