Christopher Hart Web Site Launch

It is with excitement that we inform you of our campaign web site launch – you can access it at www.hartofthe6thward.com.

A considerable amount of thought and effort has gone into our web site. While originally conceived as a vehicle for campaign messaging, we quickly found that there should be a higher purpose. And we have come to the conclusion that this site should be maintained as a resource for the constituents of the 6^th Ward and the residents of Evanston. Our goal is to continue to use this platform in the post-election period to make useful and important public information easier to find, easier to access, and easier to understand. The testing of technology applications you see on our site is intended to evaluate what can be adapted into new ways for you to access your government and our collective intellectual capital. And, we hope it will offer new ways to gather your ideas, and opinions on emerging issues and decisions across the City. 

I believe that technology gives us the capability to better serve residents by:

«  Using interactive Ward Maps to gather important scheduling information about street and construction projects

«  Registering for texts or messaging that disseminates crime, parking and public information alerts

«  Creating a central connection point for neighborhood groups and local business to share information and resources

«  Streamlining access to desired City services and information

«  Staying connected to those of interest in our lives

But, we should also not be limited in our thinking. One of the intriguing areas being explored in the private sector is the creation of “communities of practice” where individuals within companies come together to explore, discuss, and share knowledge in a central topic of interest (which may or may not be related to their job but is related to the aspirations of the company.) Technology plays a critical role in supporting the social networking aspects of information sharing and broadening involvement. Our opportunity is to bring forward private-sector applications and apply them for public progress. Think about the development of the volunteer-driven Climate Action Plan, as an example, and you can envision the rich opportunity to build on-line sharing tools that would allow intellectual capital to flow and a community to “look in” on the process of addressing important community issues.

These are exciting times and, with each day, we are finding ways to better connect people to ideas, and ideas to people. In a community like Evanston, we should strive to build an on-line community that allows the sharing of intellectual capital to be viewed as a virtuous service.

I hope you will extend this message to voters throughout the 6^th Ward and community.

 Christopher Hart for Alderman, 6th Ward

chris@hartofthe6thward.com