Remember that localized SeeClickFix-like constituent services app that freshman City Councilman Bobby Henon promised this week?
It’s now available in the App Store here: ph.ly/cityhallapp
Contrast that with two years of missed deadlines around the city’s Philly 311 app. No firm deadline for that has been released, but city Managing Director Rich Negrin says the past eight months or more has been for internal feedback and something will land this summer.
To be fair, Negrin has pushed for a multi-platform tool. Henon’s is iPhone only. Regardless, this appears to be political.
The It’s Our Money team, a joint project of WHYY and the Daily News, rightly points out that while Henon deserves credit for delivering — something the administration hasn’t in the digital space — the dueling apps look a lot like an aged battle: some in City Council have remained nervous that consolidating constituent services with 311 means a weakened role of Councilmembers with their residents.
Two apps may be pushing for control of a small slice of constituent services in a city with a lot of other priorities.
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