Baltimore Hires New Chief Information Officer

Five months after Baltimore’s last chief information officer resigned following accusations of ethical violations, the city announced the position has been filled.

The city announced the hiring of Chris Tonjes, who previously worked as the chief information officer for Washington DC’s public libraries.

"We are excited to announce the appointment of a qualified and forward-thinking individual to oversee an increasingly important government agency," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in a new release announcing the hire. "Chris comes to us with years of experience as an innovator for one of the country’s oldest public library systems. His understanding of the needs of a modern urban municipality will be critical as we develop strategies to make city government more effective and efficient."

While in DC, Tonjes oversaw the addition of broadband Internet access to all of the district’s libraries, the creation of the first library app for iPhone, and iPad and Blackberry apps, according to the news release.

Tonjes will takeover his new position on July 23.

In February, Rico Singleton, the city’s previous chief information officer, resigned after an audit of New York state's Office of Technology revealed alleged attempts by Singleton to use his position to get a girlfriend a job, as well as to leverage a position for himself with a private firm that had recently been awarded a state contract, according to an article by The Baltimore Sun.