Normal people are too busy to consider all the stars in the sky. They are too busy working to make enough to pay taxes, take care of the kids, fix the car, and feed the cat.
They do care about potholes, overgrown trees, and trash bins. And they don’t like waking up to find that their car was towed because no one told them the street was going to be torn up.
And they get frustrated when they cannot reach someone in government who is responsive in addressing whatever pet rock about which they are concerned.
The solution is a plan to communicate openly with the people. And, as with any plan, it needs a manager: Hire a Communications Director.
Hire a Communications Director (CD)
The City of Newport Organization Chart does not contain a Communications Director. It now does contain a Department of Communications, added since the last election.
Hire a Communications Director, reporting directly to the City Manager. Make it that person’s responsibility to daily review the media outlined below, including a logging facility that will maintain a record of when and for how long that person was online. Make the situation be one in which the CM cannot possibly say “I didn’t know” or “nobody told me”.
That person would be responsible for ensuring that you, the CM:
1. Tell people what you are planning
2. Listen to people’s response
3. Amend the plan as best feasible within available resources
Review the City Website
Much has been done, but much remains that we can do. For starters, how about moving the City Manager section from “Departments” to “Government”? Under this City’s charter the Mayor may be the Head of State and the Council the courtiers, but the CM is the prime minister. So be visible. And add the Communications Department to “Departments”.
Similarly, how about moving SERVICE REQUEST from Tier 2 under the CM to Tier 1 under SERVICES on the main menu bar? I am pleased to see ReportIt!, their version of SeeClickFix.
1. Tell People What You Are Planning
Publish a set period of time of expected works, road outages, sewer repairs, and other events that will affect their lives.
The Navy calls it the POD: the Plan of the Day.
Every morning the crew gets up and reads the POD. Everybody now knows what is going to happen that day. And if they don’t read the POD, the first question the Chief will ask is, “DIDN’T YOU READ THE POD???”
The current site provides a few upcoming events. Good, but better would be a table with one line for each event with start and end dates:
| Date | Project | Remarks | Reference |
| 04/07/15 | Install Willow Street Dinghy racks | Response to City CIP | http://cityofnewport.com/xxx/yyy |
Heck. Twitter it!
Not rocket science.
Such a list need not be exhaustive. I would suggest looking out six months at most, but to do so for road repairs, tree maintenance, and infrastructure (sewers, electrical, gas, tide gate installation) projects.
Most people understand that things change. But they need a general idea of when stuff is going to happen. Especially, they need to see that their own pet rock is on the list, and if it is not to then they need to be able to complain.
And if they do not read the POD then they have no reason to complain about not being told. They now have the means and responsibility to make themselves informed. If they do not then the blame is on them, not the City.
2. Listen to people’s responses
The people are your best resource. They collectively have a lot more time to think about things than any one individual, especially a busy city manager, can possibly have. So let them help you do your job.
Provide (or adopt) a publicized channel for communications directly to the top: you. There are various NGOs out there: Neighborhood associations, discussion forums, individual blogs. You cannot possibly monitor all of them, but you can either adopt a select few or provide your own. In either case, your new Communications Director can help do this for you:
Why can the City not have a discussion group like KnowingNewport or Newport and Beyond? I f it cannot, then adopt either of these. EngageNewport is a big step in the right direction, but still is transmit only.
I am pleased to see ReportIt! highlighted at the top of EngageNewport’s menu bar, where you can report problems. And it also shows outstanding issues, like SeeClickFix does. Well done, Mr. City Manager.
Several City councilors regularly use KnowingNewport to harvest and respond to citizens’ concerns. Yet I have never seen the CM appear in that forum. The Communications Director could be a regular denizen.
You, the CM, need to be present in the media. Boris Johnson, Rudy Giuliani, and a host of other leaders have endeared themselves to taxpayers by being out in the meleé. Don the cape and get out there.
3. Amend the plan as best feasible within available resources
No one can please all the people all the time. But you can please a whole lot more if you show that you considered their requests carefully (active listening?) and whenever possible make a change to accommodate.
Your Communications Director might do this by including a section on the implementation of part 1. above that specifically highlights “Recent Changes” with a short statement of why the change occurred. This would validate people’s concerns, boost your credibility, and generally calm the waters. “At least they’re trying…” most will respond.
So figure out a way to “hang out” with the people. You will learn things that no one on your staff will tell you. And everybody wins.
Truth, Courage, Commitment 