By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

When I ran for mayor back in 2003, one of my campaign pledges was to establish a 311 constituent service line. I’d seen 311 at work in Baltimore, New York and Chicago. I knew how useful it could be, both as tool for tracking performance and productivity in city government and – even more important – as a way to empower residents doing business with the city. But despite my enthusiasm, many of my fellow residents approached 311 with caution. Some people liked the idea and said so, but almost as many didn’t think it would make much difference – or that it would end up being a costly gimmick.

But fast-forward to this spring, and you’ll find that Somerville’s 311 operation has become a heavily-used gateway to city services and information – and a popular resource for thousands of residents. The 311 number works from your cell-phone (if you’re within the city limits); we have constituent service reps with Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole language capabilities; we’re averaging close to 2,000 calls per week (that’s a quadrupling of call volumes since the spring of 2006), and the ‚Äúfrequently asked questions‚Äù (FAQ) section of the 311 web page attracts 1,400 to 1,500 hits per week.  Our 311 data is helping us document how different neighborhoods use city services, and how quickly we’re able to respond to resident request for service.

The latest 311 innovation came just last week with the inauguration of a full-service welcome desk at the front door of City Hall. Now, whenever you walk into City Hall during business hours, you’ll find a fully trained 311 constituent service rep ready to help you find the information or the office you need.  Since there’s also a computer kiosk at the welcome desk, you can pay city bills online, print forms and applications, and look up documents and regulations.  And, in addition to answering questions and directing visitors, the welcome desk 311 staffer can also provide you with: yard waste stickers; environmental service guides; a recycling bin; a new resident or new business welcome kit; and even bus schedules.

In short, 311 has, in less than three years, gone from being an experimental innovation to an established institution, with ever-expanding services and with more residents using it every day.  I had high hopes for 311, but even I would have not have predicted it would come so far so fast.

And while I am on the subject of rapid advancement, there is one other topic I want to address in this column.  In recent weeks, the city has lost the services of two outstanding employees, each of whom has made important contributions to the modernization and improvement of city government. But I’m not complaining about their departure, because both of them have moved on to bigger and better things – and their success is another sign that Somerville’s achievements are gaining favorable notice well beyond our borders.

After many years of service, Kevin O’Donovan has left our IT Department to take over implementation of Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone systems for the entire Commonwealth. It’s a big promotion for Kevin, and we wish him well, but it’s also a reminder that Somerville’s use of technology puts us in the forefront of government in the New England region.

Peter Mills, who joined us in 2006 as the first head of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE), has been recruited by Boston-based Citizens Energy Corporation to develop new entrepreneurial ventures in the alternative energy business. That’s a truly wonderful opportunity for Peter, and it speaks well of the work he has done for the people of Somerville. He leaves behind a trailblazing Environmental Strategic Plan that will guide Somerville’s efforts to develop cutting-edge, cost-effective, sustainable environmental policies that will reduce our carbon footprint and enhance our quality of life for many years to come.

It’s not easy to let either Peter or Kevin go, but their success should make it easier for Somerville to recruit top-notch employees in future.  We may not be able to offer the highest salaries – what city can? – but we can offer an innovative environment where good work gets noticed.

And, as we have learned with 311, we can also offer a chance to work for a city whose residents embrace and support innovation in municipal government – and who keep pushing us to do our very best.