What Data-Driven Mayors Don't Get

We live in an age of pervasive alienation from public institutions—and subsequent decline of political authority. The public wants simple answers to complex problems. Take the loss of America’s manufacturing jobs. The culprit is not easy to apprehend and there is no one neat and tidy explanation. But the perception remains that jobs are hemorrhaging while a technocratic global elite remains clueless to the carnage. This alienation is also at work in our cities. Governing technocrats need to recalibrate and embrace an agenda more squarely focused on helping communities left behind by gentrification.

For decades, cities have been busy conducting and presenting themselves more professionally. The old ways of machine-run cities, which we can call Local Authority 1.0, have been cast aside for Technocracy 2.0. Exit patronage-based hiring, enter LinkedIn searches; exit neighborhood-based earmarks, enter performance-based budgeting. Mayors such as New York City’s Michael Bloomberg, Indianapolis’ Stephen Goldsmith, and yours truly are all early examples of mayoralties that emphasized open data and a dispassionate leadership style. At the national level, Barack Obama embodied this cool, unemotional, no-drama style. Many major American cities have embraced and entrenched these values, and have even created a C-suite position—Chief Data Officers (CDOs). The aim here? Better management—of organizations, people, technology, and process—will lead to better outcomes for residents.