Why Cybersecurity Recovery Requires More Than Restoring Systems
A ransomware attack, data breach, or major system outage can disrupt essential municipal services, including payroll, emergency communications, transportation, and public access to information. Restoring affected systems is only one part of recovery. Local governments must also verify data integrity, secure compromised infrastructure, and determine when employees can safely resume normal operations.
Recovery requires coordination across IT, legal, finance, communications, and departmental leadership. Agencies need clear procedures for prioritizing essential services, assigning decision-making authority, communicating disruptions, and keeping residents informed. Even after systems return online, uncertainty about exposed information, unresolved vulnerabilities, and service reliability can undermine public confidence.
Municipalities can prepare by establishing recovery priorities, testing backup systems, conducting incident simulations, and documenting responsibilities before an attack occurs. Recovery plans should also address public communication, post-incident reviews, and corrective actions. These measures help governments restore essential operations while reducing the risk of repeated disruptions.
Free Cybersecurity Assessments and Exercises for State and Local Governments
Fractional Source and Sourcewell Ventures are expanding their cybersecurity pilot to state and local governments, offering free assessments and exercises to help agencies prepare for cyber incidents.
Community Spotlight: Mayor Michael Owens, Mableton: Creating a Cloud-Based Government From the Ground Up
Michael Owens is Mableton, Georgia's first mayor, a city that incorporated in November 2022. He won a runoff against Aaron Carman in April 2023 and took office that month. With about 80,000 residents, Mableton is Cobb County's largest city and the 12th largest in Georgia.
Owens grew up in Robbins, North Carolina, and served eight years in the United States Marine Corps, where his work focused on communications, engineering, and counterintelligence. He holds a doctorate in business administration from California Intercontinental University.
He has more than 25 years of cybersecurity and technology experience. He led Ernst & Young's global cybersecurity, cybercrime, and critical infrastructure program. He led a public-sector advanced services team at Cisco Systems covering the Southeast and New York. He is president and CEO of the U.S. Global Center of Cyber Policy, a non-partisan group that advises governments on cybercrime and digital policy.
In his first years in office, he focused on building a city government from the ground up. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs granted Mableton qualified city status after it set up planning and zoning, business licensing, sanitation, and code enforcement. City staff grew from 12 to 60 employees during 2025. In October 2026, the council approved Elevating Tomorrow Mableton 2045, the city's first comprehensive plan.
The city operates in the cloud and has no on-site server rooms. The city established a digital city hall within six months of incorporation, and Owens designed the system with the city's IT Security Risk Department. The project received a 2026 Smart 20 Award at the Smart Cities Connect conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, in March 2026.
In his second State of the City address in October 2026, Owens announced a no-cost partnership with Google. The partnership will cover responsible AI for efficiency, stronger cybersecurity practices, workforce development, and community feedback surveys. Owens said the city will keep ownership of all its data.
The workforce component targets high school students and adults seeking better-paying jobs who could gain cybersecurity or AI skills. The city has also used AI and automation to improve employee workflows.
Mableton is also preparing to take over police services. Its agreement with Cobb County ends May 31, 2027, and the city plans to launch its own public safety division on June 1, 2027. The city named Kerry Stallings public safety director in August, and Anita Allen police chief on October 6.
QUICK HIT NEWS
E-bikes and e-scooters that can reach motorcycle-level speeds are outpacing state and local laws written for low-speed rideshare scooters. Illinois will bar riders under 15 from all e-bikes starting in January 2027. This law requires a driverʼs license, registration, and insurance for devices that exceed 28 mph. New Jersey requires e-bike riders to hold a license and register their bikes. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed three e-bike laws in October, and Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and Massachusetts are weighing new rules.
Newport News, Virginia, unveiled an AI factory at its first AI Day on October 15. The city built the dedicated server room with Nvidia and Lenovo to run a local large language model, and CIO Hassan Janjua expects it to be operational by December. An AI gateway will route prompts by data type, keeping sensitive records such as Criminal Justice Information Services data on the local model. Nearby community colleges can use the facility through a chargeback model priced below commercial options. The city also opened a small AI lab where developers work with subject matter experts.
Utahʼs Office of Administrative Rules has redesigned eRules, the online home of the Utah Administrative Code, in its largest upgrade since 2019. Tecuity, a Utah company, built the new application with support from the Division of Technology Services. Residents can sign in with UtahID to follow individual rules or subscribe to updates for an entire title or agency. Agencies use the system to file rulemaking documents, and both the public and agency portals now follow the Utah Design System.
The City of Tonawanda, New York, plans a $1.2 million system of infrared sensors and warning signs to keep oversized trucks from striking the Young Street CSX railroad bridge. The century-old bridge has an 11-foot, 6-inch clearance, and police records show about 65 strikes since 2000. Infrared beams will scan traffic in both directions and trigger flashing signs that direct tall vehicles to an alternate route. The National Highway Freight Program funds the project through the New York State Department of Transportation, and construction is expected in 2027.
FOR THE COMMUTE
The Army is borrowing techniques from venture capital (The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton)
Dr. Matt Willis, director of Army FUZE, discusses how the Army is applying a venture capital model to move promising technologies from concept to field capability. FUZE launched in fall 2025, combines several separate Army innovation efforts, and makes many small early investments. Willis explains how the program scales proven technologies and ends efforts that don't deliver results, while keeping soldier readiness central.
RESOURCES & EVENTS
📅 What AI Readiness Actually Requires (Virtual - November 2, 2026)
This webinar will examine how data scattered across legacy systems, duplicate copies, and manual exports can stall AI projects in government and education. Jim Weaver, Austin Boone, and Steve Tsuchiyama of Everpure will cover data governance, data movement, and when real-time streaming justifies its added complexity. Moderator Christie Burris, former chief data officer of North Carolina, will guide a discussion on four questions for assessing readiness and first steps that need no new funding. Details →
📅 A Foundation for Modern Government (Virtual - November 3, 2026)
This webinar will look at how state and local governments can modernize without replacing systems that still work. Angela Spain and Ken Kapetan of Lumen will join Sean McSpaden of the Center for Digital Government to discuss each layer of the technology environment, from connectivity and security to the cloud. The session will focus on reducing complexity, building resilience, and tying modernization decisions to the outcomes agencies need to deliver. Details →
📊 Report Spotlight: Extending Connectivity Beyond the Network (T-Mobile)
This guide describes how direct-to-cell satellite service can keep public safety teams in contact where terrestrial networks are absent or damaged. T-Satellite, built on SpaceXʼs Starlink constellation of more than 650 satellites, can reach more than 500,000 square miles of the U.S. without terrestrial coverage. After Hurricane Helene, satellite-to-cellular service supported more than one million people and carried over 650,000 text messages and more than 200 Wireless Emergency Alerts. The guide recommends the service for messaging, location sharing, and basic data, layered with 5G, priority access, and land mobile radio.
INSIGHT OF THE WEEK
Washington counties are drawing on general funds to cover rising lawsuit costs. The Washington Counties Risk Pool, a shared insurance pool covering 24 counties, ended 2025 about $25.3 million short of its estimated unpaid claims, according to an August state auditorʼs report. Claims liabilities grew from $67 million in 2024 to $123 million in 2025, and the pool raised its base rate to members by 35% in 2026, adding $17 million to county costs.
