Last week on vacation, I traveled across three states before spending time with friends and family on a lake in Michigan. While the great majority of my time, of course, was spent kayaking, canoeing, swimming, sightseeing, and eating much more than I should have, it was still hard to avoid the way residents of eachRead… Read more »
For years, people have talked about a phenomenon called “suburban sprawl” – what happens when cities tend to blend into each other along a stretch of road, making it difficult (if not impossible) to tell when you have passed into a bordering community. This is often said of the Chicago to Milwaukee corridor – bothRead… Read more »
I guess it was inevitable. After a contentious spring, federal and state budget deficits, and political posturing on both sides of the aisle (in an extreme case – Minnesota – both sides walked away from the table and the state government actually shut down!), government communications and marketing funding is on the chopping block. DeridedRead… Read more »
There’s always a lot of media attention given to communities where exciting things are happening (Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, etc.) But you don’t hear much about cities that are incredibly boring. You know, real snoozers. Where it seems like nothing happens and nothing ever changes. Maybe you live there. Maybe you’ve just driven throughRead… Read more »
While serving as Communications Director at a city, I witnessed a city council meeting that lasted until 3:15 a.m. At around midnight, the mayor led the council in stretching and calisthenics. Have you ever witnessed or participated in a marathon meeting (of an elected or appointed body)? Would love to hear your stories!
A recent article in Government Technology reported that a Florida mayor, concerned about someone stealing items from his office, installed $8,000 worth of surveillance cameras in his office – at taxpayer expense. Leaving the details of this case (and the related investigation) aside, the story brings up an intriguing question. How would any of usRead… Read more »
Times have definitely changed in the life of a local government communications professional. Ten years ago, I held this position for a city of 70,000 residents and my options for reaching citizens were much more limited than for someone in a similar job today. Back then, I essentially had to rely on the bi-monthly cityRead… Read more »