New council communications strategy is tried and true
26-11-2024 4:16 p.m.
Cobourg
The tried-and-true printed-on-paper sent-through-the-mail report is a new strategy Cobourg council will try for what they hope is the most effective way to reach citizens with a mid-term report
Cobourg council actually set aside the final motion on its 2025 budget to hear an idea from Mayor Lucas Cleveland on a strategy to reach the most citizens with a mid-term report.
The e-mailed newsletters and Facebook posts don't have quite the impact of something in your mailbox, Cleveland told council at this week's budget meeting, so he asked for a last-minute $20,000 item for a two-page four-sided mailer that offers a mid-term report.
His motion also called for an annual $5,000 to be set aside for – four years down the road – the next term of council's mid-term report.
Councillor Randy Barber was enthusiastic, pointing to the mailers our MPs and MPPs send out.
“I think it behooves us, perhaps, to tell our constituents what we have done, what we have succeeded on, what we haven't done, what we have yet to do,” Barber listed.
“The idea is to have people have another source of information. Since the loss of our paper, I do agree that the kind of things that used to be covered aren't any longer – it's harder and harder to get information.
“Here's an opportunity to have something forced out to you in the mail that, hopefully, you will take a moment to read or criticize or otherwise.”
“Is the intention each member of council has a section in the newsletter?” Councillor Miriam Mutton wondered.
“I think it's really important, given the importance of something like this, that we each have our voice.”
“You are literally reading my mind,” the mayor said.
Deputy Mayor Nicole Beatty agreed with the concept, but added that these messages should be “vetted through corporate comms.”.
