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Glenview trustees discuss how to better communicate with residents

Several times during the May 27 Glenview Connect workshop, Glenview Village board President Mike Jenny stressed his intent to provide residents with transparent information.

It can be clear as day, but it may not mean a whole bunch if a lot of people aren't receiving that information or aren't enthused enough to seek it.

Efforts to do a better job of publicizing "all things Glenview" was the purpose of a presentation before the Glenview board at its Tuesday meeting. Having been awarded the village's June 2020 proposal request to craft a Community Engagement Plan, representatives from Chicago-based communications and marketing agency Public Communications Inc. visited the board's 36th virtual meeting.

First of all, while it's incumbent upon staff and elected officials to know the material, it's to trustee Tim Doron's point that, for example, the 113-page report delivered Tuesday is not easily digestible by a Glenview family of dual wage-earners with children.

Compared with other documents, though, that's a lightweight. Even the proposal for an outdoor bar and dining area at Glenview's Valley Lo Club, which like the plan for a new baseball scoreboard at Glenbrook South and a liquor license for Egg Harbor Cafe passed unanimously Tuesday, ran 98 pages.

"We have got to make it simple for them," Doron said. "I'll use another word - we've got to make it easy for them."

In addition to the successful village newsletters mailed to subscribers (between 60% to 70% of recipients like them, according to a survey), on top of the nearly one-third of Glenview's 17,000 households village manager Matt Formica said have signed up for the emailed newsletter, the village could use improvements in distributing its messages on social media and particularly through its website, PCI said.

"We recognize that the work is very purposeful; it's about making sure that there is a regular and steady flow of timely and accurate information on behalf of the village, helping citizens of Glenview make very informed decisions," said PCI President Craig Pugh.

"And the goals are focusing on not only communications, but also impact, helping make people's lives better and enhance a sense of civic pride in Glenview. Also business goals, empowering local businesses to thrive, what it means to shop Glenview and patronize retail and other businesses that constitute the village."

Pugh cited a graph far up in the report that depicted small groups of either "vocal supporters" or "vocal detractors" bookending a large "unengaged majority."

"We want to make sure that there are communication vehicles on behalf of the village that truly aim to engage everyone," Pugh said.

One of those vehicles is the village website, www.glenview.il.us, which PCI found in a digital audit does not perform as well as some municipal peers. Resident surveys and, as PCI's Michael Queroz suggested, a "virtual bulletin board" on the website could enhance two-way communications between residents and government.

PCI recommended hiring a full-time community engagement manager, which is all the more important with the May 28 retirement of part-time communications manager Lynne Stiefel.

That's just what is happening, Formica said.

"We are in the process of engaging the recruitment for a new community engagement manager, a full-time position that will focus on the implementation of this plan and also overall management and coordination of the village's communications program and engagement strategies," Formica said.

Trustee Adam Sidoti succinctly summarized these strategies.

"It's important to meet the people where they are," he said.

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