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City Communications
It is not a cliché to say that communication is at the core of everything we do. Whether something is successful or not can usually point back to how well ideas, expectations and responsibilities were communicated. In any group, especially one as diverse and wide-ranging as city government, it is vital that everyone involved ‘be on the same page’ and working toward the same set of goals. Think of all the groups the city needs to communicate with to be efficient and successful:
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Community
Schools/Churches/Service Clubs
- Non-profit organizations
- Hancock County government
- NW Ohio/State/Federal governments
- Greater Findlay Inc/Chamber of Commerce
- Area businesses, business leaders and associations
- Media/Press
As you can see, it takes a lot of coordination and careful planning to make sure that all of these groups are working together to do what is best for all. We know that the mayor needs to work closely with everyone, but I would like to share a couple of ideas I have to improve communication between the mayor’s office and a few of these groups:
Community
- Hold a monthly town hall forum at various locations to interact with and inform the public
- Implement a government service day: twice a year, city workers will meet with any and all community members, clubs, organizations…anyone who has an idea of how to make this city better, we want to hear it
- Upgrade the city website with more news, information and the services/forms you need
- Record all city meetings and archive audio/video/minutes/notes on the website
- Change the city call center to a 311 system: access for all non-emergency situations
- Implement a mass notification system - ability to send messages to home phones, cell phones, e-mail, IM, etc. regarding city-wide issues (i.e., weather/flooding, utility outages, traffic advisories, missing child alerts)
City/County government and workers
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Sit down with all city workers within the first 100 days to solicit their opinions and ask for feedback on a regular basis
- Make sure all city workers have access to e-mail/Internet and make sure these are being used efficiently
- Talk to county commissioners, Sheriff, and other offices to discuss how things are and to see what ideas they have to improve relations and services
I think that the number one thing any elected official can do is listen. Without hearing and understanding what the needs are of all the groups listed above, how can anyone come up with plans that will actually work. It is my hope that the community, city council and area leaders are willing to explore new and unique ideas, open new lines of communication and to implement and support a course of action that will benefit everyone.
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