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City Clerks Meet, Digitize

The title “city clerk” should be changed, as it does not reflect the importance of the job.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Last week, Sacramento City Manager John F. Shirey addressed a meeting of the City Clerks Association of California (CCAC), saying that the title “city clerk” should be changed, as it does not reflect the importance of the job.  “You are in the information business,” he said, “and need to maximize the use of technology.”

And in that respect, Shirey and the city of Sacramento are fortunate. City Clerk Shirley Concolino – who is also CCAC president – and her iPad-toting staff have for some years now pushed a digital agenda, including digital signatures. At the CCAC meeting, they presented technology solutions to clerks from around the state, including staff-produced instructional videos for political candidates, and the replacement of council member agenda packets with digital copies for iPads and Kindle readers, which saved $1,500 per year per council member.

Concolino and her staff even brought in representatives from Apple to show CCAC members the latest in mobile device management, iPads with built-in VPN, iPad apps that run Microsoft Office, and the Apple Configurator that synchronizes up to 30 devices at once. The message was clear: mobile devices are here to stay, and getting on the leading edge means welcoming them, taking advantage of their potential and managing them for best results.

This week, according to Assistant City Clerk Dawn Bullwinkel, the Sacramento City Clerk’s Office is meeting with city stakeholders and preparing an "outside the box" technology infrastructure proposal for Shirey.

Wayne E. Hanson served as a writer and editor with e.Republic from 1989 to 2013, having worked for several business units including Government Technology magazine, the Center for Digital Government, Governing, and Digital Communities. Hanson was a juror from 1999 to 2004 with the Stockholm Challenge and Global Junior Challenge competitions in information technology and education.