“ We focus on how to infuse transparency , accountability , participation and innovation into our services and culture ,” said Andy Best , the city ’ s open government program manager . He is the first full-time , managementlevel employee dedicated to realizing Guelph ’ s open government vision .

“ Open government is a triple opportunity ,” said Best . “ Often , in order to create that great user experience for residents , you have to create new tools .

On the back end , those modernized tools enable city staff to work smarter and make more informed decisions with better data . This creates efficiencies that can help relieve the financial pressures currently facing cities . Great citizen experience , new tools , internal efficiencies . It ’ s an exciting time to be working in local government .”

Government imperatives While Guelph is known for its proactive approach to open government principles and practices , Best ’ s newly created position as open government program manager illustrates the depth of the city ’ s commitment .

“ Becoming a more open and responsive government requires a mix of project and change management ,” said Barb Swartzentruber , the city ’ s

executive director of intergovernmental relations , policy and open government . “ A program manager helps align resources to support city employees who are creating positive change . The fact is that transparency and accountability aren ’ t just overused buzzwords , they are government imperatives . We need the processes and resources in place to modernize our services to provide the exceptional public services our citizens and businesses expect .”

Many of those essential processes were in development at the City of Guelph long before Best arrived in summer 2015 .

For example , the “ myGuelph ” initiative is a multi-departmental effort that aims to meet citizens ’ ever-increasing expectations about how they want to interact with municipal government .

RASSCO / SHUTTERSTOCK . COM