At the recent Chamber of Commerce Debate, our opponent criticized the Fairfax County website. His criticism didn't make a lot of sense at the time - something about not being user friendly and not having enough information. Well, apparently the Center for Digital Government feels differently.
From the Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs:
Sept. 19, 2007
County Web Site Takes Top Honors in National CompetitionFairfax County's public Web site, fairfaxcounty.gov, earned top honors in the Center for Digital Government's "2007 Best of the Web" awards competition. As a first place winner, fairfaxcounty.gov was recognized as one of the most innovative and user-friendly local government portals. Oakland County, Mich., and Columbia County, Ga., rounded out the top three finishers in the county portal category.
"We are delighted to receive this recognition and very proud of the customer service we offer online," said Deputy County Executive David J. Molchany. "We are looking to continue and increase our level of excellence by providing additional e-services, refreshed content and more social media options."
The "Best of the Web" is a national awards program that judges state, city and county Web sites on their innovation, Web delivery of public services, efficiency, economy and functionality for improved access. The winners will be recognized at the Center for Digital Government's 11th Annual Anniversary Awards on Sept. 21.
The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. The center is a division of e.Republic Inc., a national publishing, event and research company focused on information technology in the public sector.
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You can find the complete list of winners here. Fairfax was named the top local portal.
There's a larger story here. Claiming that Fairfax County's website is somehow inadequate just don't match reality. Can the website be improved? Probably. But it's winning national awards.
Claiming that Fairfax County schools are somehow inadequate (another charge bandied about in recent public appearances) just don't match with reality. Can they be improved? Of course. But the school system is one of the best in the nation and getting better.
I could go on. There's a pattern here. Apparently, for some people, up is down and down is up.