Mayor Adams Creates More Efficient Government by Consolidating City Tech Agencies Under New Office of Technology and Innovation

January 19, 2022

Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am4dJUOClhI

CTO Matt Fraser Will Lead Office

Office Will Lead Key City Tech Initiatives Including Closing the Digital Divide and Setting Up MyCity Portal 

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today signed an executive order to consolidate all city technology agencies under a single authority to streamline their operations and foster interagency cooperation. The authority will be granted to the city's New York City Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Matthew C. Fraser, who will lead the Office of Technology and Innovation.

"I made a commitment to New Yorkers that we would leverage technology to improve the delivery of government services and track agency performance in real time, and we are doing just that," said Mayor Adams. "Before serving as a transit cop, I worked as a programmer at the NYPD, so I understand how important it is to bring our city's government into the 21st century. With today's announcement, we are ensuring that all of our technology agencies are unified under one voice and one leader. I thank Matt Fraser for his dedication to this mission, and his commitment to using innovation to ‘Get Stuff Done' for New Yorkers."

"The Office of Technology and Innovation will streamline technology operations across the city and revolutionize how New York City does business, as well as how the city provides services to its residents and visitors" said Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser. "I thank Mayor Adams for his commitment to elevating technology across city government and look forward to working with the entire administration to make government even more efficient and responsive to the 8.4 million New Yorkers who call our city home. We are now entering the era where we can truly use technology in real time to overcome what were perceived to be insurmountable challenges and ‘Get Stuff Done.'"

Executive Order 3 delivers on Mayor Adams's promise to promote the use of civic technology across city government to make agencies more efficient and responsive, while breaking down silos between disparate agencies. It will also ensure the city can collaborate with New York's burgeoning technology sector, which has continued to grow in recent years despite the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Office of Technology and Innovation will be tasked with carrying out Mayor Adams' key tech initiatives, including the creation of MyCity, a single one-stop shop portal for all city services and benefits, and closing the digital divide. The office will also oversee and coordinate efforts among the following agencies:

• New York City Department of Information, Technology, and Telecommunications
• Mayor's Office of Data and Analytics
• Mayor's Office of the Chief Technology Officer
• Mayor's Office of Information Privacy
• New York City Cyber Command
• Algorithms Management and Policy Office
• NYC 311

"Consolidating the city's overlapping technology agencies, something Tech:NYC has long supported, is crucial to improving how New Yorkers interact with technology day-to-day and how the fast-growing tech sector builds in our city," said Julie Samuels, executive director, Tech:NYC. "I applaud Mayor Adams for prioritizing this measure, and we look forward to working with Matt Fraser as he leads this new effort."

"Mayor Adams' commitment to improving public facing government technology is a breath of fresh air," said Noel Hidalgo, executive director, BetaNYC. "Throughout the pandemic, New Yorkers experienced pronounced government failures when government technology did not meet their needs. We are excited to see this reorganization of government organizations. New York City's government should work for the people for the digital era we are living in. Finally, New York City's customer service, analytics, privacy, algorithms, security, broadband, data literacy, and tech innovation will become the city's digital front door."

"I applaud Mayor Adams' executive order to consolidate and harness the considerable technological resources of our city government under a unified office," said New York City Council Member Robert Holden. "I've advocated for and introduced legislation to do this as chair of the New York City Council Committee on Technology and I believe it will improve tech services for all New Yorkers. The greatest resource we have is the wide diversity of talent in our tech departments and this will bring it together to work more efficiently."

"The consolidation of all technological systems in the City is the right step to modernization. The data gathered by government agencies and the way these are shared and analyzed is essential for effective operation. For instance, having accurate information of the calls for assistance that come through 311 is of vital importance to better understand the needs of New Yorkers. I am sure that with portals like MyCity, we will be able to find solutions to the lack of internet access, mobile systems, and technological equipment throughout the City. It is also important to remember, however, that technology must be accessible to everyone, especially those in the Bronx," said Senator Luis Sepulveda.

"As Chair of the Senate Internet and Technology Committee I applaud Mayor Adams for this visionary policy change. The way government agencies interact with each other and with citizens is changing rapidly through technology and this consolidation will allow the City to swiftly respond to the needs of government and its citizens with current technology and future innovations," said Senator Diane Savino.