Technology

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl: Bringing Government into the 21^st Century

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl understands the transformative power of technology and innovation and how it can improve the quality of life for all Pittsburghers. The Mayor’s forward-thinking 21st-Century technology improvements are connecting citizens with each other and engaging them with government to help solve the problems that face us. Luke will continue to aggressively modernize public safety to keep our neighborhoods safe and clean, and advance an improved technology infrastructure that allows government to respond faster and more efficiently to citizens. He is also modernizing government with new “green” technologies that will shave money from energy bills and create “green-collar” jobs to grow Pittsburgh’s economy.

Modernize Public Safety to Keep Neighborhoods Safe and Clean:

Mayor Ravenstahl is committed to improving the information and communications technology used to support public safety so that officers, building inspectors, and paramedics can respond faster when problems arise. At the same time, the Mayor has fought to receive funding to put cameras in neighborhoods to help prevent and solve crimes.

Restoring Pittsburgh’s financial health has allowed the Mayor to invest $9 million to buy new police vehicles, ambulances, and fire trucks. This new, modernized fleet is equipped with Mobile Data Terminals (MDT), or computers, to maximize the efficiency of the City’s public safety force. Now, officers can get the information they need and file reports from the vehicle, maximizing their time in our communities. Ambulances locate homes faster, and have new technologies to improve pre-hospital treatment. Building Inspectors are using handheld computers, increasing their efficiency and capacity to address quality of life issues.

Additionally, a neighborhood camera system is being deployed Citywide to help prevent and solve crimes. The Mayor is leveraging this technology to build the City’s “satellite” grid so that more neighborhoods can receive extra security when problems arise.

Connecting Citizens with Government and Improving Efficiency:

Luke believes in residents’ willingness to give and to give back to make government work better. The Mayor created the 311 Response Line to give citizens and government easy, two-way communication. Customer service agents utilize technology to send work reports to departments and track their progress. Agents have responded to more than 100,000 requests, dispatching crews to patch potholes, board vacant homes, or simply answering questions about the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship program. In turn, agents are managing every citizen call, and tracking responses is improving efficiency and adding a layer of accountability.

The Mayor is using the Internet to advance 311. Citizens can report their top concerns such as potholes via an easy online form. Now, residents know what to do when they need something to get done.

In tandem with that goal, Mayor Ravenstahl understands that we must use all available technologies and methods to open up City government, creating a new level of transparency to change the way business is conducted. To that end, the Mayor is overhauling the City’s contracting process and using the Internet to post bid “justification” forms. He is leading the push for Campaign-Finance information to also be posted online.

Deploying Green Technologies to Save Taxpayer Dollars:

The Mayor is replacing lights throughout the City with energy-efficient “LED’s” to save taxpayer dollars and improve the environment. The City’s retrofitting of traffic lights will save millions of dollars in reduced energy costs. Soon, the City will be using more green technologies to convert street lights and weatherize City facilities.

As one of 13 inaugural Solar America Cities, the Mayor is building the City’s “solar” infrastructure to support the use of the clean, sustainable technology. This summer, the City’s first solar panel will be installed at a fire house – showing resident, businesses, and visitors how easy solar can be. As the Mayor advances the City’s “green” print, deploying 21^st-Century green technologies, he is helping to create “green” collar jobs that will sustain and grow Pittsburgh’s economy.

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