In Governor Deval Patrick‘s February 2 podcast, he talked about the creation of a public liaison office, as part of the civic engagement arm of the executive office. The public liaison office will be headed by Ron Bell, pictured at left, who served as Patrick’s deputy campaign manager. "It will be tasked with connecting directly with people in communities and neighborhoods and exploring creative new ways for you and me to speak with each other," Patrick said.
"Another function of Public Liaison will be to engage those people who are not traditionally active in political life," Patrick continued. "We want anyone, no matter where they come from, to know that they have my ear and that this is their government too. Part of the job of Public Liaison will be to reach out to communities who wouldn’t necessarily even know that there is a governor here who cares about them, and wants to have their best ideas to contribute to making this government stronger too."
Azell Murphy Cavaan, right, interviews City Councilor Domenic Sarno on September 29, 2006, just after an Urban Land Institute panel presentation about Springfield.
On the same day, Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan announced the appointment of Republican reporter Azell Murphy Cavaan to the position of community relations director, starting later in February. Cavaan "will help cultivate better ties with the community, work with the local media, improve the city’s Web pages and make for improved connections with social service agencies and community activists, among other things," according to Mary Ellen Lowney’s article. She will also "spend a lot of time out in the community, meeting with groups and strengthening ties with residents across the city."
Is improved citizen engagement catching on? What’s next, state and city government-sponsored social media?
Azell Murhpy Cavaan, at right, listens as a reporter to Mayor Ryan unveiling a plan to end chronic homelessness last month.
Speaking of social media—but not the government-sponsored kind—the multi-talented, currently-freelance Chuck Olsen of Minneapolis has produced an hour-long documentary about blogs called Blogumentary. To get a taste of what Olsen has created, check out the trailer.
Olsen writes that the film "playfully explores the many ways blogs are influencing our media, our politics, and our relationships. Personal political writing is the foundation of our democracy, but mass media has reduced us to passive consumers instead of active citizens. Blogs return us to our roots and reengage us in democracy."
Wouldn’t it be compelling if Ron Bell and Azell Murphy Cavaan each maintained a blog as a component of their outreach to the public?
