Richard, Martha and I were sworn in this Monday evening, halfway through the city council meeting. We took our seats up at the desk and finished it out by voting on a few more issues and making committee assignments.
Richard is poised to begin tackling the job situation hard. I’ve started working on communication issues – revamping the city website, getting a council email listserv going that anyone can join, sending our our weekly council newsletter to a broader audience, and having the meetings video & audiotaped for broadcast on TV and the Internet. It’s time to get some systems in place to open up better dialogue among the citizens and the City.
I’ve also been asking business owners for their input on how we can better improve communication. Not everybody has internet access. What do we need – paper newsletters? A phone tree? Carrier pigeons? Please help me brainstorm. No idea is too crazy to consider.
If you’re concerned about the Veolia Trash Contract (and, from the number of phone calls I’ve been receiving lately, I know a lot of you are), please come to the OPEN FORUM TONIGHT, 6-8pm, at the Adair County Annex on North Franklin St. I’ll be there for the first hour or so.
Finally, now that the election is over, I’d like to repurpose this site into a forum for discussion about city issues until something more permanent is created. So keep visiting and please leave your feedback. I value your comments – you can also call and email me.
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You could possibly work with the local radio stations (KRXL, KTUF, KZBK, and Truman’s station) to see if they can fit in some “highlights” from the meetings during their normal news blurbs.
You could also get the info to KVDE and KTVO for print on their web pages. KVDE could include the info in print, and KTVO could include the info in their broadcasts. This can only help KTVO, as way too much of their web articles are aimed at Iowa as it is. Who knows, maybe each can create a “What’s happening with the City Council” section on their web pages.
Somehow, I have a feeling this is stuff you’ve already thought of, though.