DXO

Category: Writing

  • LEGISLATION: Olympic Oversight Ordinance

    Today Alderman Manny Flores of Chicago’s First Ward introduced an ordinance that mandates greater oversight of the Chicago 2016 Bid Committee. I assisted the Alderman in the development of language calling for the release of financial data and other public documents.See some news coverage and download the entire PDF of the ordinance here.

  • WRITING: “Chicago’s First Attempt At TIF Sunshine Falls Short”on Progress Illinois

    Today Progress Illinois published an article that I co-wrote with Max Brooks: Chicago’s First Attempt At TIF Sunshine Falls Short. Here’s a snip: The Projects section typically has a project name with supporting documents linked beneath. Document types include: Redevelopment Agreements These are often simply copies of the relevant pages from the City Council Journal…

  • Writing: EveryBlock Statement in Support of Open Data Standards in New York City

    Today, on behalf of EveryBlock, I wrote and submitted the following statement to New York City Council: EveryBlock strongly supports the introduction of a Local Law to create open data standards in New York City. EveryBlock is a neighborhood news site serving 15 cities, including New York. You can see our work at http://nyc.everyblock.com/, where we combine public records from New York…

  • WRITING: Testimony re: City asset lease agreements disclosure ordinance

    Today I testified at the Chicago City Council Committee on Finance. Here’s the text: Statement of Daniel X. O’Neil in support of the proposed City asset lease agreements disclosure ordinance. Monday, June 1, 2009. 11:30 a.m., Council Chambers My name is Dan O’Neil, and I am one of the co-founders of EveryBlock.com, a neighborhood news…

  • Writing Samples re: Open Government

    Here are some examples of recent writing on open government:Inaccessible Pothole Data in Chicago: documenting my unsuccesful attempts to obtain pothole data from Chicago’s Department of Transportation And the Chicago Sun-Times references specific, detailed pothole numbers: “The city had a daily average of 300 to 400 potholes in the days before Christmas, but the number…

  • TypePad in the Real World: One Year of Classroom Websites at a Private Elementary School

    .Last summer I implemented a large-scale TypePad system for the Catherine Cook School in Chicago. The teachers and staff at the school really took to the system. Despitethe hours of training I delivered to them, you never know how (orwhether) tools will be used when they’re released in the wild. Here’s arundown of how they used…

  • GoogObits is the Yahoo! Pick of the Day

    Today my Web site GoogObits was highlighted as the Yahoo! Pick of the Day.