By Rochelle Haynes, Managing Director, What Works Cities

There is a story we hear a lot at Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification. It typically starts with an ambitious mayor, supported by knowledgeable staff, who are eager to improve their city’s data practices. The staff lay the groundwork for citywide data use, and it’s going well. More departments are using data to make informed decisions. And residents are starting to see better services.

So far so good. But then this story takes a turn.

A new mayor comes in who has big ideas, is fresh off the campaign trail, and can’t wait to get started on their administration’s priorities. This leader puts resources elsewhere, and the momentum and excitement built around data practices begins to fade.

It’s not just newly elected mayors. Councils change, sometimes rotating in a new chair every year or two. City managers come and go. City staff retire. The cycle of arrivals and departures in city governments brings original ideas, new expertise, and diverse perspectives, but it can also disrupt ongoing initiatives that take time to build.

Although this “transition tension” is natural, it’s not inevitable. And it does not have to mean a step backward for data-driven government. The key is understanding — and communicating — that data practices are not a policy, instead they are a nonpartisan tool to support the policies coming out of city hall, no matter who’s in charge

In fact, instead of being disruptive, mayoral and council transitions are a key opportunity to build and sustain. This message couldn’t be timelier as elections will soon bring new leadership to hundreds of communities across the country.

During transitions, city staff — the data champions — are in a unique position to take advantage of an energized city hall, show a new mayor how data can promote their agenda, and build sustainable city data practices.

Recently, I spoke with Mayor Corey Woods of Tempe, Ariz., to hear his perspective on data-driven governance and how to get executive buy-in. Mayor Woods’ predecessor achieved Gold Certification from What Works Cities, meaning that Tempe is among the best cities at using data. Importantly, Mayor Woods didn’t have to start from scratch. His administration took advantage of the existing data infrastructure, which made his job much easier. Most importantly, Mayor Woods knew that data would help get better results for his residents, so he pushed the city to raise the bar on its data practices. Three years later, Tempe became one of only five cities to reach Platinum Certification, the highest level.

Mayor Woods emphasized what data has done for Tempe, and can do for every city. It helps mayors ask the right questions, track progress on their goals, evaluate the success of programs, and then communicate those successes to residents. No matter the policy priority — whether that’s homelessness, public safety, climate resilience, or transportation — data empowers leaders to make the smartest, most equitable decisions for their residents. As Mayor Woods said, “Data has really helped us not just simply tackle problems that end up in front of us, but it’s helped us to be visionary in our leadership and management styles.”

Tempe’s strength lies in the structures, systems, and processes that guide how data is used across departments to make decisions. It’s these structures that lead to a citywide data culture that transcends administrations.

Here are four steps to getting started:

1. Follow a standard. A good first step is to take stock of your city’s current data practices by taking the What Works Cities Self-Assessment. It is a free, internationally recognized roadmap for data-driven, well-managed local government.

2. Find data champions in other departments. There is strength in numbers. Together, data champions can leverage data to highlight wins and opportunities for growth. These change agents in individual departments not only promote data use within those departments, it helps align data goals with larger citywide goals. In Pittsburgh, Pa., the innovation team has a goal of making a smart city. Instead of selling the grand idea to executives, the team took smaller first steps, working with other departments to map the city’s solar panels to begin to get buy-in.

3. Work together to put practices on paper. The goal here isn’t more red tape. It’s to develop documented policies because having a written strategy increases the likelihood of implementation. Lay out the data policies, procedures, and roles across your city. Include specific goals and steps to get there. Sugar Land, Texas, used What Works Cities as their framework for data progress, even putting up their plans on an office poster for daily inspiration.

4. Empower other staff. Keep building the number of employees who see the impact of data on their work by holding workshops and data literacy trainings. For instance, the City of San Antonio offers an Innovation Academy for city staff in different departments to learn new data skills and apply them to specific projects in their departments.

While strong data practices aren’t a panacea for systemic challenges like climate change, homelessness and public safety — you can’t begin to solve them without it. Data not only supports today’s strategies in city hall, it drives innovation, enabling insights that lead to new solutions. Put simply, when cities are better at using data, they are better at getting results.

That fundamental truth makes mayoral transitions a chapter in your city’s data journey, not the conclusion.

The contents of this Guest Column are those of the author, and not necessarily Barrett and Greene, Inc.

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