Tampa Republic

Mayor Jane Castor has been chosen to join the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance, joining forces with 22 other mayors from regions including North America, South America, and the Caribbean. Through this Alliance, Tampa will receive support in operational and technical areas, focusing on using data and artificial intelligence to evaluate community needs, enhance municipal services, and establish policies. These efforts are aimed at improving government operations in areas such as affordable housing and public safety.

Mayor Castor and her counterparts will participate in a two-day summit starting today, June 27, hosted at Johns Hopkins University. During this event, the newly inducted program mayors—representing nine countries and over eight million residents—will collaborate with international mayors and experts in data, innovation, technology, and urban policy.

"Joining the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance is a big step for the City of Tampa. By enhancing data collaboration across departments, we can allocate resources more effectively and better address our community’s needs,” said Mayor Jane Castor. “This initiative ensures our city's future will be guided by strategic, data-informed decision-making that will help transform Tampa’s tomorrow."

“Through the City Data Alliance, more cities are now using data across city hall agencies to tackle their toughest challenges, from expanding affordable housing to improving public transportation,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and 108th mayor of New York City. “Today we’re glad to welcome 23 more cities to our program and provide them with the tools, support, and connections they need to capitalize on emerging technologies and put data to work on behalf of their residents.”

“Cities that are harnessing the extraordinary amount of data out there are better positioned to understand resident needs, source innovative solutions, and lead from the front when it comes to artificial intelligence,” said James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “The mayors of these 23 cities want to put their municipal governments in the driver’s seat when it comes to leveraging data – and the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance will help them develop the policies and practices to do just that.”

The 23 new Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance mayors include:

THE CARIBBEAN:

Dominican Republic:

Mayor Carolina Mejía of Santo Domingo

Jamaica:

Mayor Richard Vernon of Montego Bay

NORTH AMERICA:

Canada:

Mayor Dawn Arnold of Moncton

Mayor Rob Burton of Oakville

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe of Ottawa

The United States:

Mayor Matthew Tuerk of Allentown

Mayor Kelly Girtz of Athens-Clarke County

Mayor Eric Genrich of Green Bay

Mayor Jon Mitchell of New Bedford

Mayor Justin Elicker of New Haven

Mayor André Sayegh of Paterson

Mayor Eduardo Martinez of Richmond

Mayor Matthew Mahan of San José

Mayor Jane Castor of Tampa

Mayor John Carli of Vacaville

SOUTH AMERICA:

Argentina:

Mayor Esteban Allasino of Luján de Cuyo

Mayor Ramón Lanús of San Isidro

Mayor Rossana Chahla of San Miguel de Tucumán

Mayor Diego Valenzuela of Tres de Febrero

Chile:

Mayor Pablo Silva Perez of San Fernando

Colombia:

Mayor Jorge Humberto Rivas Urrea of Rionegro

Guatemala:

Mayor Ricardo Quiñónez Lemus of Ciudad de Guatemala

Peru:

Mayor Gabriel Antonio Madrid Orúe of Piura

“As artificial intelligence rapidly advances so too does the opportunity for local governments to put it to work for residents' benefit,” said Amy Holmes, Executive Director at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence. “Doing this effectively demands that municipalities have a foundation in place guiding how data is collected shared utilized through which new technologies can be harnessed. The Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance—comprised determined data-led mayors across Americas—brings sophistication standards into municipalities leverage every tool available transform how governments operate thrilled welcome 23 new cities support able do.”

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