{"id":295179,"date":"2026-07-14T08:26:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T08:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/295179\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T08:26:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T08:26:47","slug":"public-interest-technology-pit-crew-to-rapidly-build-digital-solutions-to-nyc-public-problems-the-bronx-daily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/295179\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Interest Technology (PIT) Crew To Rapidly Build Digital Solutions To NYC Public Problems | The Bronx Daily"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mayor Zohran\u00a0Mamdani and Chief Technology Officer and Office of Technology & Innovation (OTI) Commissioner Lisa Gelobter today announced the launch of\u00a0\u201cPublic Interest Technology (PIT) Crew<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0a\u00a0new\u00a0initiative that will\u00a0deploy\u00a0teams of technologists alongside City agencies to tackle public problems with\u00a0in-house\u00a0digital\u00a0solutions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The first PIT Crew will team up with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) to\u00a0build\u00a0an online portal that\u00a0allows\u00a0New Yorkers\u00a0to\u00a0easily\u00a0file complaints\u00a0against companies that trap customers in\u00a0hard-to-cancel,\u00a0costly subscriptions. The tool will support the Mamdani administration\u2019s implementation of\u00a0the nation\u2019s first\u00a0\u201cClick to Cancel\u201d protections.<\/p>\n

OTI will deploy a total of five PIT Crews: the first to support Click to Cancel, three more to advance Mayor Mamdani\u2019s agenda of affordability and public excellence and an\u00a0additional\u00a0team developed with support from The Rockefeller Foundation to the Mayor\u2019s Fund to Advance New York City<\/a>. The Rockefeller Foundation has supported efforts to help governments harness the latest technologies to improve processes and systems for underserved communities across the United States.<\/p>\n

Each PIT Crew will\u00a0include\u00a0product managers, designers, engineers,\u00a0user\u00a0researchers\u00a0and data experts\u00a0who will work alongside City agencies and New Yorkers to design, build and launch digital solutions on accelerated timelines. Instead of waiting years for\u00a0new technology, agencies will be\u00a0able\u00a0to\u00a0move from idea to implementation in\u00a0a matter of\u00a0months.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernment should be as responsive and innovative as the people it serves,\u201d said\u00a0Mayor Mamdani. \u201cNew Yorkers should not be forced to navigate systems that are confusing, outdated and burdened by bureaucracy. The PIT Crew\u00a0turns that model on its head. These teams\u00a0will move quickly and deliberately to\u00a0solve real problems, make City government easier\u00a0to use,\u00a0deliver for working New Yorkers and advance our agenda of affordability and public excellence.\u00a0It is\u00a0fitting that our first project will enforce our\u00a0Click to Cancel\u00a0law by making it easier to hold companies accountable when they engage in predatory practices to squeeze working people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the twenty-first century, every government service is, in some way, a digital service,\u201d said\u00a0Chief Technology Officer and OTI Commissioner Lisa Gelobter. \u201cTechnology is no longer just how government\u00a0operates\u00a0behind the scenes \u2014 it is how people experience government. Every confusing process, unnecessary step or difficult interaction makes government harder to navigate. Every simpler experience strengthens trust. New Yorkers\u00a0shouldn\u2019t\u00a0have to understand how government is organized to get the services they need. Our job is to make government work better for people. The PIT Crew gives us a new way to do that \u2014 partnering with agencies to understand problems, rapidly test ideas, launch solutions, learn from real users and prove what works. By demonstrating better ways of solving public problems, we can help agencies move faster and give New Yorkers the government they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Yorkers deserve protections that keep pace with technological change, from canceling a recurring subscription with a single click and getting an honest price when booking a hotel, to reporting bad actors without jumping through a labyrinth of bureaucratic hoops. DCWP is thrilled to have a new partner in the NYC PIT Crew to achieve just that,\u201d said\u00a0DCWP Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine. \u201cNo one should have to navigate the maze of subscription traps or junk fees alone, and no one should struggle to access the government resources they already have. Today\u2019s announcement sends a clear message: this administration is committed to modernizing government, harnessing technology in the public interest and ensuring market innovation works for New Yorkers \u2014 not the other way around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a moment of profound disruption, New Yorkers, like Americans everywhere, want government to deliver for them and we should be able to use today\u2019s incredible technological advances to help\u201d said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. \u201cThe Rockefeller Foundation is proud to support our hometown\u2019s PIT Crew initiative, which will be a model for how to harness the latest tools to solve problems and expand opportunity for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experienced product managers, software engineers, designers, user researchers, service designers and other technologists committed to public service are\u00a0encouraged\u00a0to learn more and apply to join a PIT Crew at nyc.gov\/pitcrew.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cGovernment technology should bridge services, not be another barrier to accessing them,\u201d said State Senator Kristen Gonzalez.\u00a0\u201cThe PIT Crews will be integral to deploying good government technology by creating in-house solutions to specific problems, and by providing the best possible digital experience for New Yorkers.\u00a0I commend Mayor Mamdani, Deputy Mayor of Operations Julia Kerson and Chief Technology Officer Lisa Gelobter for setting a new standard for public technology that will improve services and lower costs for New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNew York City has always been a cradle of technological innovation and advancement, serving as an example of how investment in modernity can transform a public good. As Technology Chair at the City Council, I know technology has the potential to solve issues for the everyday New Yorker, like housing and affordability, if we deploy it responsibly, equitably\u00a0and strategically,\u201d said Council Member Carmen De La Rosa. \u201cAccess should never be hindered for those who need it when we have the tools to deliver the services. We are excited to see a vision of efficiency come to fruition in the PIT crews, providing opportunities for young talent to shape the future of their city while making it easier to hold bad actors accountable in service of New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Yorkers deserve government technology that meets their needs, where they are,\u201d said\u00a0Noel Hidalgo, Executive Director of\u00a0BetaNYC. \u201cToday\u2019s investment strengthens the City\u2019s capacity to deliver on housing,\u00a0child care, worker and consumer protection and affordability. Government technology should always serve people first, and by building in-house teams that deliver faster and more cost-effectively, this investment does exactly that. We commend Mayor Mamdani and his team for this investment and look forward to working with the administration to improve how the City delivers its data and digital services.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy bringing technologists into genuine partnership with City agencies and community members, New York is modeling an approach to public innovation that other local governments can build on,\u201d said Dr. Ruha Benjamin, Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University.\u00a0\u201cThe future of technology isn\u2019t just about better code \u2014\u00a0it is about deeper relationships, broader participation and institutions that are equipped to learn from the people they serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mamdani administration is getting it right: tech should be a tool to serve people, and designed and deployed responsibly, it can deliver accessibly and advance Mayor Mamdani\u2019s affordability agenda,\u201d said\u00a0Alondra Nelson, former Acting Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.\u00a0\u201cDone right, digital government can help millions of people save hundreds of millions of dollars, and\u00a0hours and hours\u00a0of time. Done\u00a0wrong, it can be costly, useless, discriminatory or even dangerous. How a City interacts with its people\u00a0should not\u00a0be outsourced. It should be local and accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith this announcement, NYC is taking necessary steps to attract and build more in-house talent, instead of giving away taxpayer dollars to consultancies and big tech,\u201d said\u00a0Katherine Jin and Ajeet Singh MD MPH, NYC-DSA Tech Action OC.\u00a0\u201cWe are making\u00a0a clear choice. We are choosing a positive vision for technology, a vision that refuses a foundation of exploitation, and instead enables NYers to experience greater freedoms as tenants, workers, consumers and neighbors. By launching tools like the Click-To-Cancel rule and other future PIT Crew projects, the Mamdani Administration commits to building public interest technologies that will address the material needs of NYers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"NYC\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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