City's iPad Decision Leads to CNN Show

By Desiree Parker Thursday, August 12, 2010

Williamsburg City Manager Jack Tuttle appeared on CNN Thursday morning after the city’s decision to use iPads made national headlines.

Council decided unanimously in July to forego paper agendas and packets and instead use the iPad, a new compact tablet computer from Apple. Staff estimated the move would save a few thousand dollars in any given year, and at their council meeting Thursday afternoon, Tuttle pointed out the city had saved $471 just by not printing the packets for the day’s meeting.

In the CNN interview (watch it here) Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, argued that using iPads and similar technology might make government less transparent. Rhyne said new technology like iPads and cell phones make it possible to communicate in a variety of ways, and “we’re concerned the exchanges might not be retrievable.”

Tuttle said the iPads aren’t set up for chatting or other such communication, and that council simply downloads the agenda packet from the city website like any resident could. The city is also concerned about transparency, and “we aim to use it to enhance transparency,” not reduce it, he said.

Tuttle joked with council Thursday afternoon that the interview “wasn’t too bad.” He said that the interview had stemmed from local news reports that had gotten picked up nationally.

Read a USA Today story about the iPad trend, which features Williamsburg’s city council, here.