Commentaries

Commentaries are contributed, non-commercial and educational articles that subject matter experts write for American City & County. If you would like to submit an exclusive commentary, click here to view our guidelines.

Highlights

Smart cities require smart insurance programs

The rise in autonomous vehicles has required many cities and counties to examine the impact...

Smart cities: What really makes them smart?

Recently, I had the pleasure of taking part in the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress...

Why should social services be excited about automation? Hint: an end to mundane, repetitive work

The importance of protecting children and ensuring their growth into healthy adults is an...

Article

3 tips for mitigating the ransomware threat to government offices

In 2019, more than 140 local governments, hospitals, and police stations fell victim to malicious ransomware attacks. Various cities across Louisiana, Texas, and Florida are among many that have appeared in the headlines. This particularly malicious type of cybercrime has become a global issue whose reach and impact continue to grow. Recent reports claim ransomware […]

Commentary

Municipal leaders should improve property registries to combat property blight

Hundreds of communities across the country have implemented a “vacant property registration ordinance” (VPRO) with intent to proactively receive contact information of the owner or responsible party for vacant and/or abandoned properties in their jurisdiction. This tool advocated for by community development experts has proven to be a great success. While effective, this tool has […]

Commentary

In a new data decade, constituent experience reigns

Over the years, humans have predicted fantastical feats would be achieved by 2020, from robot servants to public space travel. Now that 2020 is here, some of the accomplishments are different—but still grand. In the decade ahead, transformational technologies that better meet constituent needs will define the missions of local government leaders. Advancements in 5G, […]

Commentary

How 5G can improve emergency response efforts during extreme weather

“People didn’t die from the smoke. People didn’t die from the fire. People died because they didn’t know something was coming,” said Joseph Solis, former 911 dispatch employee and police officer, on the 2017 California wildfires. The increasing need for disaster response is down to one simple and depressing fact — these instances are becoming […]

Commentary

Smart cities: What really makes them smart?

Recently, I had the pleasure of taking part in the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress in Singapore, where leaders from around the world gathered to discuss the future of mobility. My presentation – Emerging Mobility Solutions and Smart Cities – was among many that explored vital mobility topics, from technology innovation to data management to sustainability […]

Commentary

Ransomware attacks: Why it should be illegal to pay the ransom

When it comes to ransomware attacks on municipalities, paying hackers isn’t the right solution. First, there’s no guarantee hackers will return sensitive data. Second, there’s no guarantee cybercriminals won’t leverage and monetize the data anyway, returned or not. To effectively fight back, we need to make ransomware payments illegal, and develop a strong industry of […]

Commentary

Succession and the aging workforce in government

There’s a strong case to be made that public sector is the industry most impacted by the aging workforce in the United States and changes in workforce demographics. Changes in the workforce are making two major impacts on state and local governments and quasi-governments. The first is the need to fund pension plan obligations for […]

Commentary

Government as a Service: Maximizing enterprise content management solutions for civic innovation

From reduced operating budgets to election hacking to community planning issues, state and local entities are faced with more and more challenges in their day-to-day operations. At the same time, changes in technology and the expectations of both employees and constituents have made it more important for governments to make sure communications are streamlined, processes […]

Commentary

Closing the gap: How a facilities master plan can help your city

Cities and counties across America face the same predicament: unrelenting demand for limited resources. Without enough funding to go around, elected officials and city staff must make high-stakes decisions about public spending on a number of things, such as facilities and services. With so much to choose from and pressure being applied from all sides, […]

Using a mobile phone and computer at the same time

Commentary

The convenience of mobile voting makes it a prime target for hackers

According to the United States Elections Project, approximately 138 million Americans voted in the 2016 presidential election, only accounting for 58.1% of the eligible population. With the 2020 election season ramping up, officials are considering new ways to drive voter participation, including exploring mobile voting. When it comes to participation, mobile voting pilots to date […]

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Commentaries

Commentaries are contributed, non-commercial and educational articles that subject matter experts write for American City & County. If you would like to submit an exclusive commentary, click here to view our guidelines.

Highlights

Smart cities require smart insurance programs

Smart cities: What really makes them smart?

Why should social services be excited about automation? Hint: an end to mundane, repetitive work

Article

3 tips for mitigating the ransomware threat to government offices

Commentary

Municipal leaders should improve property registries to combat property blight

Commentary

In a new data decade, constituent experience reigns

Commentary

How 5G can improve emergency response efforts during extreme weather

Commentary

Smart cities: What really makes them smart?

Commentary

Ransomware attacks: Why it should be illegal to pay the ransom

Commentary

Succession and the aging workforce in government

Commentary

Government as a Service: Maximizing enterprise content management solutions for civic innovation

Commentary

Closing the gap: How a facilities master plan can help your city

Commentary

The convenience of mobile voting makes it a prime target for hackers

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Building a NextGen E-discovery Playbook for Public Sector Organizations

Communicating in Crisis – How Preparedness Leads to Successful Crisis Management

Events

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As the #coronavirus crisis continues causing economic trouble across the U.S., local governments have stepped up to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

📢 UPDATE: The House of Representatives voted Friday afternoon to approve the $2 trillion stimulus package, despite… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

#Ransomware attacks on public institutions are on the rise. In 2019, many state and local governments, as well as h… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

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