Council Member Ben Kallos is leveraging web tools to connect with citizens in NYC's 5th District.

Kallos recently announced that his team has added a SeeClickFix widget to the Councilman's website at benkallos.com/seeclickfix where citizens are able to input service requests. These requests are monitored directly by Kallos' staff, who are excited to be up and running with the SeeClickFix CRM. Kallos feels that the 5th District will play an important role in bringing citizen engagement tools like SeeClickFix to the rest of New York City in the near future.

As reported by Tech President:

Kallos hosted a Google Hangout with about ten participants to announce his online constituent services, including SeeClickFix, and to discuss issues of concern to his constituents and the New York City technology community. For the SeeClickFix effort, he is building on an established program run by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, which has been using the platform on the island, part of his district along with the Upper East Side, since 2010.

During the hangout, Kallos said he would like to work on negotiating a contract to implement SeeClickFix more broadly in New York City, along with other similar services. He also announced that constituents could contact him via Skype or text to a Google Voice number in addition to attending regular open meetings in his office and throughout his district. He noted that even though there is a perception about the Upper East Side being very wealthy, there are still many residents, especially the more elderly, who may have feature phones but no Internet access.

Kallos isn't the first city political official to make these moves. SeeClickFix has also already been in use by a Brooklyn Community Board and Bronx City Council member Fernando Cabrera, who has also been using texting since 2010.

Read the full article at Tech President:
http://techpresident.com/news/24767/digital-engagement-part-new-routine-new-york-city-council-and-city-hall