As St. Louis works to boost its credentials as a growing technology hub, city officials also are looking at how to best meet the city’s internal tech needs.
On Thursday, March 10, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones and Dave Steward, World Wide Technology chairman and founder, hosted a tech summit for eight black municipal leaders, most of them from the South, to discuss how technology can be better used to deliver city services.
“One thing that I noticed as I came into this office is that we don’t have the technology that we need … and I think other cities around the country don’t have the technology they need to provide efficient service to our citizens,” said Jones, who took office last April.
“And nowhere was that more prevalent than during the… pandemic where people had to try to take care of their business online and a lot of places were closed or had limited capacity. And so I wanted to bring several mayors to St. Louis to talk about what their needs are.”
Municipal leaders invited to attend the summit – which was closed to the media – included Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens; Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis Jr; Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin; East Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome; Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed; Rochester Hills, Mich. Mayor Bryan K. Barnett; Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis.
In an interview with The St. Louis American before the summit, Jones listed police services and personnel matters as two areas that could use a technology boost.
“Our technology is outdated and … unfortunately prohibits us from providing the services I think our citizens deserve,” she said. “And [for] our employees, our payroll system is outdated, and we can’t offer better benefits because we literally cannot add more benefits to the system. So it’s about not only providing better services internally, but externally as well.”
During the summit, Jones said she planned to “let mayors know that World Wide is an asset that they can call on for different questions… and advice.”
In a statement, Steward said he looked forward to “sharing ideas and exploring technology solutions to some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing our great cities.”
Also, Interim Public Safety Director Dr. Dan Isom offered an overview of public safety strategies in St. Louis, including the city’s alternative response models. The city saw a decrease in homicides between 2020 and 2021 of more than 25%, bucking national trends.
Jones said she envisions the summit as the first in a series of gatherings that will help build relationships and allow “leaders to learn from each other.”
Karen Robinson-Jacobs is The St. Louis American / Type Investigations business reporter and a Report for America corps member.
