National charity to help city organize data

Gainesville joined a national network of 94 cities Tuesday to learn how it can better help residents.

The What Works Cities initiative, created by Bloomberg Philanthropies, helps city governments use data to improve efficiency and transparency, said Sharman Stein, the initiative’s director of communications. Gainesville will work with five expert partners from Bloomberg Philanthropies, a charity that funds national improvements in government, the arts, public health, education and the environment. The data, which Gainesville already collected, will be better organized and analyzed with the help of the initiative, Stein said.

“We believe data can help build trust between local residents and local government,” she said.

What Works Cities accepts cities that apply on a rolling basis, Stein said.

“In the fabric of the network cities, cities learn a lot from each other and adapt ideas from one another,” she said.

Chip Skinner, a city spokesperson, said Gainesville will create a website for citizens to view the data, which will strengthen government accountability.

“The purpose of our city is the people of our city,” Skinner said.

Harvey Ward, the Gainesville city commissioner of District 2, said he is excited for the city’s collaboration with the initiative.

“This puts our city in an elite group of communities that are thoughtfully preparing for the best the 21st century has to offer our citizens,” he said. “The benefits of this partnership will be plentiful, and I can’t wait to dig deeper into it.”