On May 6 to May 8 2008, the Public Technology Institute held its 2008 Technology Leadership Conference and Expo down in Miami, Florida. This year's theme was Local Government 2.0: The Next Generation of Service Delivery. The conference examined emerging tools and solutions that governments are using to connect the different constituencies served: citizens, businesses and other agencies.

INPUT attended various panels throughout the day. The opening panel titled Local Government 2.0: The Next Generation of Service Delivery, featured Gail Ropper, CIO, City of Raleigh, NC; Clifford Clarke, CIO, City of Fort Wayne, IN; Carolyn Purcell, Internet Business Solutions Group, CISCO Systems; Bill Schrier, CTO, City of Seattle, WA; Judi Zito, Director, Government Information Center, Miami-Dade County, FL. The main focus on the round-table centered around serving the citizens by using technology. The speakers discussed various Web 2.0 projects their respective jurisdictions have recently implemented; the importance and emergence of local governments using more market research (customer and employee feedback) to steer city/county decisions in what technologies and projects to pursue; as well as the continued need in making city and county government "open" and transparent.

Later on in the day, the I.T. leaders discussed their thoughts on I.T. governance in the session titled Examining Models for Effective I.T. Governance. Charles Thompson, CIO, City of Phoenix, AZ headlined the panel. I.T. governance is the connection between the organizations business focus and the I.T. management of an organization. But developing an effective I.T. governance model can be a daunting task. This session examined the common definitions and practices needed for effective governance, ensuring that the investments an organization makes in I.T. generate value to the government. The panel discussed the importance of viewing the governance as a 3 legged stool. The 3 legs; "Technology", "Business Processes" and "Leadership" need to be equal in length for I.T. projects to succeed, otherwise the stool will break.

At the end of the day, INPUT attended a session on The EVER-Changing Role of the Local CIO. David Behen, CIO, Washtenaw County, MI and Michael Armstrong, CIO, City of Corpus Christi, TX discussed how the CIO position is evolving, and the skill sets that were required five years ago have dramatically changed. Today's CIO is addressing more policy and management issues and serving as the true technology champion in government. Both David and Michael agreed that critical skills needed for today's CIO include: political savvy, leadership and influence, relationship management, resourcefulness, strategic planning, doing what it takes and leading employees.