Experience: A new way to to transition Boston to a new mayor

In 2013, Mayor Thomas M. Menino decided not to seek an unprecedented sixth term in office. The election that followed was one thing, but Boston had not turned the keys over to a new mayor in more than two decades.

Typically, a three-ring binder is left for the next mayor to review — to see how the City works. That wasn’t going to do this time.

I joined a team of City Hall staffers to launch a Next Boston, a 100-day blog highlighting (in a combination of informative and incredibly creative ways) the day-to-day operations of City Government in Boston.

We covered Neighborhood Services, Food Initiatives, Environment and Energy policy, making the Mayor’s Schedule, advancing events, intergovernmental relations, and much more.

The Blog’s success was dependent on the help of dozens of City officials and department heads. It was built on Tumblr and used a variety of online tools including easel.ly, Slideshare, and Vimeo.