Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Chief Information Officer Seth Wainer, technology collaborators Equal Space, The Phat Startup, Code for Newark and Citi Medina hosted Newark’s first Tech Town Hall yesterday at the Max Blau Building, 89 Market Street. Congressman Donald Payne spoke on the efforts that the Congressional Black Caucus is making to focus on job creation for African-Americans in the technology sector. Tom Wisniewski, Managing Partner of Newark Venture Partners talked to the standing-room only audience about the possibilities that NVP will bring to Newark.
Over the past year, the Baraka administration has taken innovative steps to provide more efficient and cost-effective internet-based services to Newark residents, businesses and visitors including online bill pay, business registration and crime reporting. Touting these reforms as “Newark 3.0,” the City has been embracing technology to streamline city services, increase community engagement through mobile apps and the promotion of Newark as a place for tech start-ups.
Mayor Baraka announced the “Art of Code Classes,” a partnership with NJIT, the Newark One Stop Career Center and the Newark Workforce Investment Board. Seth Wainer spoke about the work that the City is doing to put technology in the hands of Newark citizens, from our youth to our elderly. He also spoke on the mobile app development like the My Newark app that gives Newark citizens a real-time, direct line to city services. Anthony Frasier of The Phat Startup and Chrishan Wright of Propel Media Group interviewed the mayor in a panel discussion style.
Mayor Baraka boasted about Newark’s technological infrastructure and fiber optic capabilities that outmatch every other city in the country and possibly the world, which the City is taking advantage of to create tech based Centers of Hope, free Wi-fi networks that will eventually span the city.
