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Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll Gets Transparency Initiative Underway

Posts Board vacancies and Council filings as first steps in new open government effort
Posted on: January 13, 2016 - 9:37am

In her eleventh State of the City address earlier this month, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll laid out a series of steps that her Administration would take in 2016 to even further enhance transparency and openness in City government.

This week, the first two components of that initiative were launched, when her office began publishing online a weekly listing of City board vacancies, as well as electronic versions of all of her filings with the City Council. Both are available at www.salem.com/mayor.

“Openness and transparency should be values ingrained in every action we take as public officials,” Mayor Driscoll stated. “Salem has long been a leader on this front and this year we’ll take our commitment to transparency to even greater lengths.”

Elements within the transparency initiative include:

  •          A weekly posting of current board and commission vacancies, in both English and Spanish.
  •          Posting of electronic versions of matters submitted by the Mayor to the City Council, including informational letters, background documentation, and more.
  •          The Salem Visual Budget, which will be published online in conjunction with the release of the forthcoming FY2017 City budget later this spring, will be a graphical website that quickly and clearly illustrates how and where tax dollars are being invested to deliver services to Salem residents.
  •          The Salem Participatory Budget round, in which Salem residents will be invited to propose innovative capital projects to improve the community.
  •          Adding additional open source data to the City’s new online GIS mapping tool at www.mapsonline.net/salemma, including an Adopt-a-Hydrant tool, paving history, resident parking zones, and more.
  •          Rolling out City Hall to Go, to important City services to residents where they are – from the Salem Farmers’ Market, to street block parties, to neighborhood association meetings, to festivals and special events.

“When information is available to residents interested in a particular issue, it can help avoid confusion and misinformation,” added Mayor Driscoll. “Transparency not only provides even greater access to public information, it can improve the delivery of City services and thereby enhance the quality of life in Salem.”

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