03/20/2026
Happy Friday, everyone!
Here is McKean County Commissioner Carol Duffy's response to March's question on the topic of emerging technologies, and the impact that they have on our region.
Commissioner Duffy shares about her role as a leader in both the public and private sectors.
Thank you, Commissioner Duffy, for taking the time to answer for Ask McKean, and the area that you represent!
Again, to recap, March's question was:
"As emerging technologies continue to reshape the landscape of both public service and private life, how are you approaching your role as a leader in the transaction? Beyond any specific tool or platform, what is your underlying philosophy on how our local government should adapt to these shifts, and what do you see as the most important considerations for our community as we move into this increasingly digital future?"
Commissioner Duffy's response:
"My role as a leader in emerging technology landscape – public and private.
My first consideration is the requirements for reporting to State and Federal offices for the many departments at the County and consequently any law which pertains to retainage of records for each office.
The County has multiple elected officials who evaluate the various needs of their office and make requests through the budget process and direct their staff regarding the utilization of that technology.
The Commissioners do not direct staff of elected officials but those county departments who report directly to the Commissioners vary in technological needs depending on the service being provided. My role is to encourage utilization of emerging technologies, facilitate collaboration, maintain human oversight and ethical considerations through policy considerations, and to improve delivery of service, if possible, with the available resources.
More globally, such as our email and network, the IT department makes recommendations regarding operations and cybersecurity and assists in the evaluation of software and purchases to ensure compatibility for the departments and is instrumental in the overall IT infrastructure investment.
I have outlined some of the main points I wanted to highlight below:
Budgetary Role:
The Commissioners role is to provide the fiscal resources so that each department can fulfill the requirements of that office. This is probably more complex than most individuals may think. In this role there are many considerations and I recognize that all offices require different tools to be able to function and serve the public effectively and this is a large part of budget increases as we move forward in this transition. The software utilized by a department has annual costs but also hardware needs periodically upgraded and replaced; most recently cloud storage capabilities have become more efficient, so we have transitioned there as well. So, part of my fiscal role as a leader involves flexibility, being able to adapt when needed to these emerging technologies and being able to understand the functions of each office and align technology to provide the necessary fiscal resources. At the same time, assuring the taxpayer that the expenditure is necessary and good utilization of resources.
Remaining Adaptive to Changes:
Since I became Commissioner there have been a great deal of changes, especially during the pandemic, when we were thrown into a new digital environment which all departments had to adapt to immediately. As an example: ten years ago, I traveled to many Regional and State meetings, State Departments held regional presentations to attend, board meetings were attended in person (also hours away), email was somewhat utilized, and most everything came in by mail if it had to have a signature etc. The pandemic forced the adoption of virtual meetings, connection to governmental departments and resources became more frequent and easier to manage and schedule, documents are shared and signed which helps to speed processing. Connectivity through virtual meetings is beneficial as we can remain current by networking not only internally but across the State and Nation with almost any organization or agency you need to reach. Adapting the right technology and expertise we have the potential to deliver the best services to our communities.
Challenges:
There are many considerations and challenges as we continue to keep up with the digital expectations. Some of these considerations are the digital divide and barriers that exist, data security and privacy while ensuring transparency, budgetary considerations, cybersecurity, and maintaining an updated environment.
Community Engagement:
Each department works diligently to provide services, usually with limited capacity, so one would think that keeping the public informed using a digital platform would be an easy task, however it is often complex in part due to capacity issues and the lack of dedicated public relations personnel.
Local government recognizes with this digital shift that there is an expectation of transparency and readily available access to resources, so the goal is to continue to address challenges of a small rural county with the goal of improving communication, citizen engagement, and addressing the needs of the people we serve.
We have taken steps to improve communication with an upgrade to the County webpage and implemented increased utilization practices and sharing of resources on the County webpage. In addition, some departments have engaged in a social media platform.
The desired outcome is to keep the public informed and provide accurate information through safe digital resources.
What is my underlying philosophy on how our local government should adapt to these shifts?
As technology advances digital transformation is no longer a choice but rather a necessity to deliver services efficiently and engage with community effectively. This must also include addressing the barriers that exist such as connectivity and skill gaps that exist.
What do I see as the most important considerations for our community as we move toward an increasing digital future?
First, we must work collaboratively to bring affordable internet to all and bridge the digital divide which will enable all service providers to serve their communities effectively, enhance business, connect individuals, and ensure connectivity to all resources available as we engage with these emerging technologies. Once internet is available, as a community we need to address the skills gap barriers that exist across various demographics so that the outcome is utilization of these powerful tools to improve quality of life throughout our communities.
