City of Mesa Open Data Portal > Have You Seen It? Does It Deliver?

Lots of talk and promotions in media and press releases and official statements - yes there is a open data portal for the City of Mesa, but it's remarkably different from those of other cities ... please take the time to take a look and provide comments. So far there's a so-called "Leadership Board" with no action taken to expand to include members of the public.

Here's what the official site on the City of Mesa website has to say

Open Data Program and Policy
Mesa's Open Data Program
“Data is the fuel that powers our efficient and innovative services. open.mesaaz.gov makes that data available to our residents, providing a greater level of transparency and
fostering the creation of new ideas and applications”
-  Mayor John Giles

QUESTION: Does this deliver on what John Giles says?
Are you better informed?
More importantly, is there a higher level of civil engagement and public feedback?
[Image to the left City Manager Chris Brady signing contract]

About the Initiative

The City is committed to creating a formal open data program which includes the creation of open.mesaaz.gov where the City's data will be publicly available online.
We believe providing the data behind key City priorities and decisions brings

• better informed decision-making,
• enhances collaboration among City departments
• partners and brings higher level of civic engagement and public feedback on local issues.

The short version of the policy is:

1. Data will be provided following established open standards of digital, freely available, openly licensed data. 
2. Our Policy ensures review processes that preserve the public trust in regards to personal, sensitive and confidential data that we possess. 
3. Where possible, data will not only be provided in machine readable data sets but also in visual formats that help analysis and understanding.

If you would like the full version, it’s here!

This initiative is guided by an Open Data Leadership Board comprised of executive City leaders from Mayor/Council, City Manager, Information Technology, City Attorney, Office Of Management and Budget, Development Services, Police, and Economic Development departments.
Information about expanding the board to include public members will be posted here when available.
If you would like to know more, please email us!  
Please feel free to suggest a data set. 

 

 

Accelerating Effective Use of Data by Governments

 Listen to Data Point Podcasts - showing 10 of 11
http://govex.jhu.edu/resource-type/podcast/

The Johns Hopkins 21st Century Cities Initiative

Revitalizing our Cities Through Data-Driven Solutions and Partnerships
With your help, we can make a difference in our most challenged cities
Across the United States and around the world, mid-sized, industrial-era cities are struggling against slow economic growth, ineffectual education systems, violent crime, and other problems seemingly too big to manage, too complex to solve. Yet many cities maintain a reserve of human, entrepreneurial, institutional, and cultural capital, along with a spirit of resilience. These have grounds for hope, if not always the means to advance. 
The 21st Century Cities Initiative, with university and donor support, has begun to connect leading city-focused faculty members and students from across Hopkins’ schools, fund their innovative research, and help them partner with city leaders and citizens in Baltimore and beyond. Using data-driven methods, we are helping our partners define their problems, develop on-the-ground solutions, measure their results, and engage in the hard work of revitalization.  
By growing and sustaining the 21st Century Cities Initiative, you’ll help bring Hopkins expertise to cities around the world.
Thanks to the generosity of early supporters, the 21st Century Cities Initiative has already begun developing new ideas, programs, and partnerships, and we’re on our way to establishing the nation’s premier urban-focused academic research program. Here are a few examples:

• A gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies established the Center for Government Excellence, 21st Century Cities’ powerful operational arm that is helping cities — such as Jackson, Mississippi — introduce data science into governance.  
• The Annie E. Casey Foundation provided seed funding for a rapid response research project, which shed light on the contributing factors and aftermath of the uprising that followed Freddie Gray’s death in Baltimore in April 2015.  
• In research funded by a 21st Century Cities Initiative seed grant, a Hopkins faculty member partnered with the Baltimore City Health Department to develop a data platform that will integrate hospital, health, environmental, and other information to inform interventions that can reduce older adults’ serious falls by one third in three years.   

Build on this progress with your support for these priorities:

• Funding seed grants for innovative research: We seek support for seed grants to enable researchers to develop sufficient data for their projects so they may apply for further funding from government, corporate, and foundation resources. 
• Recruiting and sustaining the world’s best faculty: We seek to create endowed professorships to compete successfully for researchers who are committed to urban revitalization and already leaders in their fields.
• Attracting and training future leaders: We seek support for endowed fellowships and term fellowships to engage pre- and post-doctoral students in our research activities and prepare them to adopt interdisciplinary approaches in their work.
• Bringing our ideas and programs into wider use: We seek to present a variety of events, including an annual symposium, a Neighborhood Innovation Award contest for graduate students, and a series of local events to engage fellow academics, civic leaders and nonprofit organizations, and community members in our research. Support is also needed to launch a new website and social media programming.

With your support, we can reach our goal of $20 million in philanthropic support for the 21st Century Cities Initiative and bring data-driven solutions to cities worldwide. Please consider joining us — every gift counts.
Make a gift using our secure online giving form. 
To learn more, please contact:
Andrew Rentschler
Executive Director
Rising to the Challenge campaign
Phone: 410-516-0470
Email: andrew.rentschler@jhu.edu


About Mesa Go here > http://govex.jhu.edu/city/mesa-az/


http://govex.jhu.edu/

Meet The Mind Behind Linux | Linus Torvalds

Published on May 3, 2016

Views: 222,8o2

Linus Torvalds transformed technology twice — first with the Linux kernel, which helps power the Internet, and again with Git, the source code management system used by developers worldwide. In a rare interview with TED Curator Chris Anderson, Torvalds discusses with remarkable openness the personality traits that prompted his unique philosophy of work, engineering and life. "I am not a visionary, I'm an engineer," Torvalds says. "I'm perfectly happy with all the people who are walking around and just staring at the clouds ... but I'm looking at the ground, and I want to fix the pothole that's right in front of me before I fall in."

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.
Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages at http://www.ted.com/translate

Follow TED news on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tednews
Like TED on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TED

Linux 4.7 and Linux 4.8 | Tux Machines

tuxmachines.org/node/91688

2 hours ago - Today, July 24, 2016, after a week of holiday fun, Linus Torvalds has had the great pleasure of announcing the release of Linux kernel 4.7 for all GNU/Linux

http://tuxmachines.org/node/91688

 

 

Selected Items from P&Z Planning Board Meeting 20 July 2016

City of Mesa Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing
Meeting Minutes
4:00 pm on Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Blog Note: unfortunately the link on Meetings & Agenda Calendar to view the video of this session has this message: " 404 - File or directory not found.The resource you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. The seven P&Z Planning Board members conduct hearings and make recommendations to the City Council on requests for changes in zoning and on required site plans.
They also consider and recommend changes in the City's long-range plans and in the Municipal Code concerning planning and zoning matters.
Members are appointed for staggered terms of three years.
Meetings are broadcast live on Mesa Channel 11 and rebroadcast the following day at 9am and 7pm.
Staff Contact: John Wesley
480-644-2181 john.wesley@mesaaz.gov
City of Mesa Planning Division
55 N. Center Street
P.O. Box 1466
Mesa, AZ 85211-1466

Chair Michael Clement
Vice Chair Michelle Dahlke
Board members:
Dane Astle
Steve Ikeda
Jessica Sarkissian
Jennifer Duff
Tim Boyle

Consent Agenda - All items listed with an asterisk (*) will be considered as a group by the Board and will be enacted with one motion.  There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Boardmember or citizen requests, in which the item will be removed from the consent agenda, prior to the vote, and considered as a separate item.     
Items on this agenda that must be adopted by ordinance and/or resolution will be on a future City Council agenda. 
Anyone interested in attending the City Council public hearing should call the Planning Division at (480) 644-2385 or review the City Council agendas on the City's website at www.mesaaz.gov to find the agenda on which the item(s) will be placed.

4-b PZ 16181
Z16-023
District 5.
2400 to 2600 blocks of North Greenfield Road (west side).
Located south of McDowell Road on the west side of Greenfield Road (63.59± acres).
Amending ordinance 4839 in order to modify a condition of approval for the PEP zoning and to modify the project narrative associated with zoning case Z08-022. 

This request will allow development of a business park.
City of Mesa, applicant;
City of Mesa, owner.  (PLN2016-00217)
Staff Planner: Andrew Spurgin
Staff Recommendation: Table  ??
Approved (Vote:7-0)
4-c PZ 16179
Z16-030
District 5.
5500 block of East McKellips Road (south side).
Located east of Higley Road and south of McKellips Road.  (4.5± acres). 
Rezoning from RM-2-BIZ-PAD to RSL-2.5-PAD-PAD; Site Plan Review.
This request will allow the development of a single-residential subdivision.
Sandra Welty, SW Land Services, LLC, applicant;
AMM Investments, owner. (PLN2016-00282)                                           
Staff Planner:  Tom Ellsworth
Staff Recommendation:   Approval with Conditions

4-e PZ 16183
Z16-032
District 5.
9700 block of East Brown Road (south side) and 1100 block of North 98th Street (west side). 
Located east of Ellsworth Road on the south side of Brown Road.  (2.03± acres).
Rezone from Maricopa County Rural-43 to City of Mesa RS-43. 
This request will establish City of Mesa zoning on recently annexed property.
City of Mesa, applicant;
Cole Builders, Inc., owner. (PLN2013-00289)
Staff Planner:  Kim Steadman
Staff Recommendation:   Approval with Conditions 
Approved (Vote:7-0)

4-f PZ 16180
Z16-033
District 1.
406 North Val Vista Drive. Located at the northwest corner of Val Vista Drive and University Drive. (2.21± acres).  
Rezoning from RS-9 to NC, and Site Plan Review.
This request will allow for development of a retail commercial center. 
Reese Anderson, Pew & Lake; applicant;
David A. Johnson, owner. (PLN2015-00650)
Staff Planner:  Kim Steadman
Staff Recommendation:   Approval with Conditions 
Approved (Vote:7-0)

5-a PZ 16184
"Sunland Springs Village Unit 10”.
District 6.
The 11400 through 11500 blocks of East Ocaso Ave (south side).
Jeff Giles, applicant
Springs Nine Development, owner. (PLN2016-00366). 
Staff Planner:  Lesley Davis
Staff Recommendation: Approval with Conditions 
Approved (Vote:7-0

5-b PZ 16185
“Sanctuary at Alta Mesa”.
District 5.
5500 block of East McKellips Road (south side).
Located east of Higley Road and south of McKellips Road. 
Sandra Welty, SW Land Services, LLC, applicant;
AMM Investments, owner. (PLN2016-00282).
Companion case to Z16-030.                                           
Staff Planner:  Tom Ellsworth
Staff Recommendation:   Approval with Conditions 
Approved (Vote:7-0)

Another Appointment for the Mayor

Here's a press release from the City of Mesa News Room 07-19-2016 at 11:11:00 AM Mayor John Giles elected to US Conference of Mayors Advisory Board

The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) has elected Mayor John Giles to be a new Advisory Board member for the nonpartisan organization following its 84th Annual meeting in Indianapolis. Approximately 200 mayors from across the country attended the conference, where the local leaders discussed a broad range of policy issues impacting America's cities and their economic health including community policing, gun violence, immigration, job creation, federal investment in America's cities and public-partnerships that drive innovation and efficiency. With more than 85% of people in the United States living in our nation's cities and metro areas, mayors are convinced that despite their geographic location, cities large and small are plagued by many of the same challenges. As a result, Conference leadership is working to ensure that issues impacting urban America are infused in federal policy discussions. The Advisory Board functions in an advisory capacity to the Executive Committee on all matters of policy and program. "We welcome Mayor John Giles as an Advisory Board Member. Mayor Giles brings a wealth of experience to the policy discussion on many key issues including public safety and education," USCM CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran said. "We look forward to his leadership as mayors around the country lead the charge to make cities more efficient and create Main Street jobs." "I am honored to be elected to the US Conference of Mayors Advisory Board," Mayor John Giles said. "The Conference is a great sounding board for ideas and resource for learning best practices in developing policy and programs in Mesa." The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Instagram at usmayors and on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors. Mayor's Office for Public Information Contact: Melissa Randazzo Tel. 480-644-3219 melissa.randazzo@mesaaz.gov

U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz Addresses U.S. Mayors at 84th Annual ...

Published on Jul 13, 2016

Views: 7

June 26, 2016 Best Practice Forum: Improving Energy Codes on the Path to Net-Zero Energy Buildings

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 19, 2016
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority Elects Mesa Mayor Giles New Board Chair
Web Link   here    

MESA, Ariz. — City of Mesa Mayor John Giles today was elected chair of the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority. The Airport Authority board elects the chair and other officers from the six board members on an annual basis.Newly appointed Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels will serve as vice-chair, City of Apache Junction Mayor John Insalaco will serve as secretary, Gila River Indian Community Lieutenant Governor Monica Antone will serve as treasurer, Town of Queen Creek Mayor Gail Barney will serve as director, and City of Phoenix Councilwoman Thelda Williams will serve as director.
“Already a bustling aviation hub and economic driver for the East Valley and beyond, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is on the cusp of record growth and renewed success,” Chairman Giles said. “It's a true privilege to chair the Board as we help this airport thrive alongside its surrounding communities. I look forward to working with my fellow Board members to ensure a bright and prosperous future for Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport."
About Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport:
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (Gateway Airport) is owned and operated by the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority (PMGAA).  PMGAA consists of representation from Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Gila River Indian Community, Phoenix, and Apache Junction. Gateway Airport offers nonstop passenger service to 38 cities via Allegiant and welcomes more than 1.4 million passengers each year.
Gateway Airport also has 1,000 acres of undeveloped land available for future job growth in the East Valley.

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Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority Media Contact:
Brian Sexton, Communications Manager
Phone: 480-988-7618
Email: bsexton@phxmesagateway.org