of the State to supervise
the formation of public opinion.
-Joseph Goebbels
We're not trying to spin it,
like in a public relations mode,
but we're actually trying to educate,
to give information about what we're
thinking or what the problem is,
get the feedback on how we can solve
it, and then to make some decisions.
-Councilman Kent Jorgenson
John Wright reports this morning that the Ogden City Council has created a new staff position to improve communications with the citizens of Ogden:
OGDEN -- In an effort to improve communication with citizens, the Ogden City Council has created a new position and set up a committee to implement a 52-page plan.
Communication problems have been evident, council members say, when it has come to hot-button issues like a proposed high-adventure recreation center, redevelopment areas and water rates.
To better inform citizens, they have hired a communications specialist for $28,700 a year and set up a five-member committee to implement the plan, drafted by a consultant at a cost of $5,000.
"We're not trying to spin it, like in a public relations mode, but we're actually trying to educate, to give information about what we're thinking or what the problem is, get the feedback on how we can solve it, and then to make some decisions," said Councilman Kent Jorgenson, a member of the committee. "We feel that we have to engage the public."
Council members are compiling a list of 1,000 stakeholders who will receive regular updates on council business via e-mail. They also plan to prioritize initiatives so they can establish individual communications plans for each.
The master communications plan offers guidance on things like framing messages, targeting audiences, disseminating information and gathering feedback. It covers such things as demographics and media relations.
In addition to the $5,000 it paid Ogden-based Design Solutions Integrated Marketing to draft the plan, the council has set aside $10,000 to implement it this year.
All funding for communications will come out of the council's $618,000 annual budget.
Communications specialist Linda Fonnesbeck will work up to 35 hours a week, producing news releases, designing surveys, gathering data, working with the local government television channel and producing reports.
Fonnesbeck also will be a member of the City Council Communications Coordinating Committee, or C5, along with Jorgenson, Zampedri, Council Executive Director Bill Cook, and Design Solutions Integrated Marketing President Jodi Holmgren.
Holmgren called the council's commitment to providing timely and accurate information to the public a "major improvement."
"I think the important thing is just that they have unanimously identified a void," she said. "I think there's a lot of exciting things going on in the community, and this will allow the community to have the information more readily."
I'm going to keep an open mind on this for now, but I already see numerous 'red flags."
The first oddity of this new arrangement is that it seems to be centered around the city council, and not the city administration itself. I've been urging Mayor Godfrey for quite a while to implement something like this on his own behalf, to promote more exchange of ideas between the city administration and the public. Yet this new communications apparatus is set up as the city council's "baby" The problem in this is that the Ogden City Council seldom speaks with one unanimous voice on any issue or subject.
There's also a second tricky problem. While it's admirable for the city council to provide a contact point between itself and the public for the exchange of information and ideas, there's a fine line between information and propaganda.
For example, it would be great to have an easy interface through which the average citizen could obtain accurate and coherent information about the details of the Rec Center bonding (other than by digesting the city's 151-page web-based PDF,) but the line between information and propaganda is crossed immediately if the raw data is to be interlaced with references to "noble ideals," or "grand visions."
Then there's the problem of electioneering. Mayor Godfrey has been repeatedly criticized for using city-owned channel 17 for political purposes. Although I've believed that such criticism was unwarranted in that case, I do see serious ethical problems with the establishment of the instant city council communications operation, especially with councilman Jorgensen occupying a chair on the steering committee, and most especially where he's running for re-election this November. Councilman Jorgensen exhibits repeated blind spots when it comes to potential conflicts of interest; and here's just another example of that.
There are many other potential problems and pitfalls in this situation that need to be discussed and explored.
I therefore invite our gentle Weber County Forum readers to do just that.
Whether this new city council communications agency will ultimately operate as a true two-way information interface for the general public -- or something more closely resembling Herr Goebbels's propaganda ministry -- remains to be seen. Nevertheless, I've already requested via email that Weber County Forum be added to Ms. Fonnesbeck's contact list.
Comments?
11 comments:
Nice topic!
I have been getting what information I have and post about from the press and the city's web page, and have quoted from the 151 pg PDF Rudi mentions.
I wrote a post last night on the "They Just Keep Going, Etc," topic, and part of that post I also found on the city's website in a study commissioned by the city regarding the revitalization of Ogden. Here is what part of that study says:
"There is no excuse for continued failure to exercise legal authority to reclaim properties not properly managed, sufficient to produce public benefit, using the powers of eminent domain. The city should move aggressively to condemn problem properties, resale them to responsible property managers, move for aggressive evictions and tight asset management, or demolish them outright upon acquisition and establish a land banking strategy."
This sort of talk does indeed reverberate with an agenda of governmental control over private citizens. Especially the part about private property which is not maintained "sufficient to produce public benefit." I was unaware that our homes should produce public benefit. And who is it that decides what public benefit is and whether it is being sufficiently produced? The city, of course.
The problem I have with this is that it is left to the sole discretion of the city administration to deem what is public benefit or a "problem property," and what is not. This in my opinion is vesting too much power in a local governmental organization, and is totally in opposition to our individual rights in this country.
One of the first things I would want to know of Ms. Fonnesback is if this quote, found on the city web page, is representative of the city's attitude toward and modus operandi in dealing with the citizens of Ogden. If this is representative of the "Master Plan," Rudi should find more quotes from the leaders of National Socialism.
This is interesting. Mr. Jorgensen has an extensive backckground in public relations.
From the Ogden City website:
"He has seventeen years of professional experience in public relations and product marketing."
AND,
"Kent has worked for the Utah Dental Association, Hill and Knowlton Public Relations (New York City), Nature's Way, and Franklin Quest. His current position with the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) allows him to interface with local elected officials, community and business leaders, and the general public along the greater Wasatch Front.
Anyone know what he does in his UTA job? Public relations, perhaps?
Link
I find it interesting that the term "land-banking" is revealed as a viable strategy for any city government. That phrase is usually kept to those large companies that deal directly in development and land speculation. Should our government be using our money for such a strategy.
While I will admit that some of the neighborhoods in Ogden are run-down, it seems that there are always those property owners that do keep up their properties. I was amazed when driving around west of Washington at the amount of houses that were extremely well-kempt. For every house that was trashed, there were three to four that were not. I would encourage people to drive around and truly take a look, especially in the 28th Street area. I would not call this blight.
Except for the few concerns that Rudi voiced about the newest PR position, I would say that this is a good move. This administration has been so closed mouthed. I think this fosters mistrust in the city's agenda, whether warranted or not. If the position has been established to dispell rumor and replace it with fact, I applaud the move. However, with the amount of spin that comes out of this administration, I believe that any factual information Ms. Fonnesbeck wishes to share with us will have to be met with skepticism first... (simply because of the barriers to trust that are already in place).
Oh come on Rudi! Call a spade a spade. Do you honestly think this whole propaganda effort isn't designed to promote the city council incumbents elections on tha taxpayers dollar?
The whole situation is rotten to the core.
And they have the audacity to do this on the eve of the coucil elections, frechrissake!
Say it like it is, Rudi!
Don't cowtoe to the government sluts.
The way the big guy on nine and his council sycophants have done this demonstrates their total PR incompetence. It is purely a reaction to the upcoming election and their desperate attempt to save Burdett and Jorgensen and to promote their biggest suck up - Larsen - onto the council.
They do not recognize that it is their hubris that is the problem with the communications. No amount of spinning or shucking or jiving is going to change that. They do not want to change their ways as they believe themselves to be devinely inspired in their current calling. There is not enought money in the entire Ogden budget to buy a cure for their curse
The only solution to their total and complete arrogance of power is to remove them from power.
It was pretty surprising to find that this "gang of six" - the Mayor and his City council - who have perhaps the greatest political, business and PR failing in the entire history of Utah has as a member - Jorgensen - an alledged PR professional!
This takes their incompetence to a whole new level!!!
I too found it interesting that Jorgensen would already start to distance himself from the Mayor! Like we are a bunch of idiots that will that quickly forget where his true loyalties have been through his repeated votes to steal peoples homes and build great monuments to his own personal saviour Godfrey.
It will be verrrrryyyy interesting to see how the weasle votes on the grand Rec Scheme in the near future.
Well said, everyone. I believe I made some reference to the Jorgenson spin and the PR efforts of the city, JUST IN TIME FOR THE ELECTION, on 15 Aug's "Open Thread."
We seem to think much along the same lines.
Today's main Op/ed about the ferret and the motel is right the hell on.
Well it is rather sad that more people are stirred up over the ferret than the poor folks that are going to be hastled by the mayor and council's goon squads in the near future.
It was the old "play on words" regarding our little friend ferret that caught my attention, as well as the Op/Ed editor's attention:
to paraphrase: if more of the finanacially disadvantaged could afford a ferret, that might stir up some well deserved sympathy.
It is a shame that all this attention has been split between the ferret and the motel dwellers, but if the ferret can help the motelers, then bless them both. Either issue shows a complete lack of regard for the people and makes me wonder just what it is that's really the cause of the delays regarding the rec center. Could it be priorities or the lack thereof?
The Std-Ex editorial board has seemed to show a lot of heart lately, with the repeated reporting of the "ferret story."
Watch out though, folks. The end of the story will be happy. The Std-Ex editors know this. The grieving lady will get her ferret back. The City cousel will amend the local oridnance to allow ferrets.
Comrade Jorgensen will send press-releases all over the country with his new prpaganda machine to trumpet the Ogden Council's compassion, and all will be once again well in the land of Oz.
Don't forget, folks. The Std-Ex was weeping only a little over a week ago about the city's loss of the eminent domain power.
Don't be schmucks, people. The "ferret story" is merely a shabby set-up.
I wouldn't trust the Std-Ex editors across the street with my $19.95 Timex.
The lady will get her ferret back. Trust me on this.
Nothing else will be changed though. We'll still be left with a hard-hearted city government, and a newspaper of record who remains the government's lapdog.
Keep your eye on the ball, people.
All the political spin in the world is not going to rescue the lord mayor and his servants on his privy council with this Recreation Center Mall site fiasco, the 25th street condo fiasco, the Marshal White fiasco, the Woodbury fiasco, the US Army fiasco, the Union Station fiasco, the dog pound fiasco, the Kemp fiasco, the good landlord fiasco, the motel fiasco, the ferrett fiasco, the signs fiasco, the failed WalMart land grab fiasco, the Riverfront fiasco, etc.
Most everything that this gang that can't shoot straight does is a fiasco! This new PR specialist thing is a fiasco with its timing and pure audacity to think that a local $25 grand PR consultant is going to some how be a miracle worker!
Jergenson is a PR specialist himself and look at the mess he is in!
If they spent the whole million, that now goes to the development wonks on the mayor's staff, on the PR effort they wouldn't make a dent in their horrible reputations. The people are getting wise to these jokers and no amount of PR spin is going to change that. The truth always wins out.
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