Bloomberg Philanthropies has named 23 mayors from across North, Central, and South America to join the organization’s City Data Alliance. As part of the alliance, the mayors will receive multi-year operational and technical coaching on how to leverage data and artificial intelligence to assess needs, strengthen services, and codify policies that enshrine and spread results-based practices across their city hall organization.
Of the 23 mayors selected for the program, 10 are based in the United States. The U.S.-based mayors are:
- Mayor Matthew Tuerk of Allentown, Pa.,
- Mayor Kelly Girtz of Athens-Clarke County, Ga.,
- Mayor Eric Genrich of Green Bay, Wis.,
- Mayor Jon Mitchell of New Bedford, Mass.,
- Mayor Justin Elicker of New Haven, Con.,
- Mayor André Sayegh of Paterson, N.J.,
- Mayor Eduardo Martinez of Richmond, Calif.,
- Mayor Matthew Mahan of San José, Calif.,
- Mayor Jane Castor of Tampa, Fla., and
- Mayor John Carli of Vacaville, Calif.
Bloomberg Philanthropies said the goal of the alliance is to “enhance government delivery and resident outcomes, such as increasing access to health care, expanding affordable housing, improving public safety, or reducing homelessness.”
“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 Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P. 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.”
The City Data Alliance was established in 2022 through a $60 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies. The alliance is focused on helping cities across the Americas with populations of 100,000 or more. The addition of the 23 new cities brings the total number of cities in the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance to 65 across 12 countries.
“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.”
