FORT WAYNE — The city of Fort Wayne is spending $72,000 to develop a communications strategy that will enlist social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter to promote the city and reach out to residents.
The city has hired Carolyn Grisko and Associates of Chicago to develop a plan to help the administration collaborate with constituents, Deputy Mayor Beth Malloy said.
Malloy said it's been difficult to communicate effectively with the community since the city eliminated two of its four neighborhood advocates last year. In addition, its director of public information, Joe Fox, resigned recently after four months on the job, and the city has not yet replaced him.
"We don't have a person [in house] who can do this," Malloy told The News-Sentinel.
Malloy told The Journal Gazette that the city could wind up using Twitter to alert people about emergencies as a result of the contract.
The contract comes about a year after Mayor Tom Henry's administration said it made a conscious effort to stay out of social media because they reached only niche markets. Malloy said most people have some Internet connection and have different expectations for how they get information.
"I think the market is there now, and we need to do it," she said. "We really need to plan for it."
The contract runs through January, but many of its projects aren't expected to be running until next summer. Malloy said Grisko will train city employees to continue the communications program once the contract expires.
Republican City Councilwoman Liz Brown questioned the need for such a hire when the city already has a strategic communication consultant and in-house public information staff.
"What message does the city of Fort Wayne think the citizens are not getting?" she asked.
She and other council members also asked why an Illinois firm was chosen instead of a local company.
Malloy said the city wanted a company with experience in providing social media analysis for governments and that no local companies fit that description.
She said Grisko will not duplicate any work done by current employees or consultants.
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