Government Social Media
Provo Mayor John Curtis blogs daily on provomayor.com! He is also active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. He tweets (and yes, the messages are really coming from him). He shares pictures of Provo tagged with #ProvoRocks on Instagram. Mayor Curtis allows residents into his office and his mind through a gotta-read-it-to-believe-it blog. Mayor Curtis started his blog so residents could get to know him. He is able to say things on his blog and on social media that he can't say to a formal camera and the press in front of him. He can joke and be quirky and poke and prod at sensitive issues in a way he can't in any other venue. His posts are off-the-cuff and he says what's on the top of his mind. Provomayor.com has posted its way through epic announcements and epic decisions - and ultimately, it's a major reason residents find the mayor likable, relatable and knowable. Mayor Curtis wanted to reach people who aren't already following local government. Through his blog and social media accounts, he is able to present their government to them in a way they will pay attention. His efforts in social media are aimed at removing the veil to government. He believes first and foremost, your government should be accessible to you and that transparency is about showing the personal side of government.
Commissioner Dan Daley is very active on Facebook and Twitter. During a time when our City was not able to engage with residents due to our social media policy, he took it upon himself to answer questions on behalf of the City. He has been a big supporter for our City and we are happy to now be part of the conversation and engage with our residents. Commissioner Daley continuously retweets and shares our posts with his followers, helping us grow our organic reach. He also engages with our younger population, helping bridge the gap between our youth and local government. We are thankful for all he does on behalf of the City of Coral Springs via social media!
Senator Kihuen is a great example of a politician who uses Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for a variety of purposes in and out of the office. Out of the office, he is fitness fanatic and soccer lover, which he often talks about, showing his personal side to constituents. In the political realm, he often voices support for his colleagues and actively talks to them/tags them in his posts. He also interacts with the media and shares his thoughts on policies that he believes in, whether in Nevada or at the national level. He is great at tapping into trending conversations, as shown in the examples like when former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian died or on President’s Day. He also uses humor and actively gets back to the people/constituents that interact with him on social media, also shown in the examples. It is also very apparent that he runs his accounts himself, instead of just relying on staff to do it for him. Instead of just pre-programming political messaging on his accounts, he takes time to tailor his message, offer his input and share things that he is doing outside of the political arena. He doesn't just pick up social media when he needs it but rather offers interesting information, insight and experiences that keep his followers engaged. He also takes the time to think through his message for each social media platform instead of taking the "easy road"� and automatically updating one with content from the other. He uses social media for its exact purpose: to inform his constituents how he is working for them and to stay informed/be connected to his party and state.
Oakland County Executive, L. Brooks Patterson uses social media to effectively engage with Oakland County citizens. He recognizes the value of using social media as a citizen engagement tool and successfully uses it to build relationships that translate into real world successes. His leadership also drives the County social media strategy and department use of social media. Oakland County is consistently ranked among the most digitally advanced counties by the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties (NACo). The county develops and utilizes leading-edge software to improve the delivery of services to its customers while reducing costs. Oakland County's IT team has an ongoing commitment to deliver high-quality, cost-effective services and has found ways to provide better information security, transparency and citizen engagement with innovative uses of social media. Patterson knows that social media is more than just a powerful communications tool but a booming industry that he wants to support and grow in Oakland County. In 2014, he launched tech248, a branding and business development initiative aimed at harnessing the power of the nearly 2,000 tech companies in the county and market the county as a global technology hub. Oakland County wants to harness the energy, the spirit, the technical excitement, innovation and creativity these companies experience on a daily basis. We want to help them collaborate and grow while developing and attracting talent. About 100 tech companies have located in Oakland County in the past 10 years, investing over $586 million and creating more than 10,500 jobs. The focus includes software development, network/data, mHealth, game development, connected cars, digital media, mobile technology, cyber security and other evolving technologies.
I regularly evaluated Allan Kittleman during his race for County Executive in 2014. I named him a social media all-star during his campaign for this office. After winning his election, Allan has continued his high level of social media outreach on multiple channels (See his website for most of his social media efforts - Instagram listed below) and remains a consistent resource of information for the residents in Howard County Maryland. You can read more about his social media effort in the scorecards here: https://scottesoftware.wordpress.com/?s=allan+kittleman I can think of no one better deserving of this award in Howard County (or any other County in Maryland).
Snow days are rare in North Carolina so it only takes a dusting to close offices and encourage people to stay home. When an overnight ice storm closed down the Capitol on February 18, 2015 Sen. Jackson was the only legislator that showed up to work. He took to Twitter to post a series of tweets that drew attention to some of the issues that are currently facing the NC legislature, humorously pretending to clear much of the partisan gridlock with the hashtag #JustOneLegislator. The tweets gained national attention and helped make the name of this freshman senator known across the state. He made it onto Rachel Maddow, Buzzfeed, and many others.
