Mattmiller, who has served in his position for the past four years, announced his resignation Friday in an email to employees of Seattle’s Information Technology Department.
In the letter, Mattmiller praised the department for all that it had accomplished in his time there, citing a host of efforts such as creating a consolidated technology department; consolidating the city’s technology infrastructure into modern data center facilities; redesigning Seattle.gov to better connect the public to services; upping the city’s investment in open data work; and instituting a privacy program that has brought national awareness to how municipal data can be collected and shared responsibly.
He also praised Seattle’s work toward making its community more digitally equitable, noting that the city’s Digital Equity Action Plan has “increased the number of households with computing devices, access to the internet, and digital skills. And our efforts to create more consistent cable and broadband regulation have resulted in the construction of a fiber-to-the-home network now serving 70 percent of Seattle homes and in 98 percent of homes having access to one or more gigabit broadband providers.”
In a press release, the city also announced that Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and staff would be conducting a search for a permanent replacement, and praised Mattmiller for his contributions. In the same press release, Durkan also announced the resignation of another city leader, Dylan Orr, the director of the office of labor standards. This marks a total of nine major department head changes in the 52 days that Durkan has held office, according to local media.
“Michael has led one of our largest departments and aimed to make Seattle one of the most innovative cities on the frontline of emerging technology,” Durkin said in the release.
Indeed, Mattmiller has been one of the more prominent tech leaders within major American cities over the past four years, regularly being recognized for his leadership and the work his department has done.
“It has been a privilege to work with you and to serve the city the past four years, and I continue to be honored by all 750 of our Seattle IT employees who choose to work in mission driven service to our public,” Mattmiller wrote. “Mayor Durkan brings an exciting vision for the city, and I know she and the cabinet will do great things in the years to come. While I will miss seeing everyone on a daily basis, I will be cheering on your efforts from West Seattle and look forward to staying in touch.”
