I Have Come to the Conclusion That This City Government Can't Communicate
If things don't change quickly, trust will be lost
Believe it or not, our community is vast. Each time I press the "publish" button to share a new post, it reaches over 1,300 readers across 44 states and several countries.
Admittedly, not everyone reads each post—on average, this publication sees about 800 readers per update. And it's somewhat of a mystery why anyone outside Ohio would be interested in the happenings of our county.
But rest assured, a lot of thoughtfulness and care go into this work. Most of the time, I get it right. However, there are occasions when technical glitches occur, or something is published prematurely. Thankfully, our readers are gracious enough to point out any misspellings, run-on sentences, or unclear ideas. The essence of Civic Capacity's messages is to be easy to understand, thought-provoking, and consistently honest—a foundation I hold dear.
On March 21, 2024, however, Troy's City Hall seemed to deviate from these principles. At around 11:30 a.m., the City released a statement on its website that appeared positive and helpful at first glance. It suggested a willingness to support the Troy Historic Preservation Alliance (THPA) and their efforts to stabilize the building formerly known as the IOOF/Old Miami County Courthouse. This move hinted at an attempt to mend public relations fences that had been previously criticized.
Yet, in an astonishing turn of events, within the hour, the same administration expressed indifference about the building's future. This contradictory stance undermines the city's initial message of support and is unhelpful at best.
Interestingly, while many residents are ambivalent about the building, there's a growing number rallying for its stabilization. Thanks to private donations exceeding $1.3 million, the building has seen more restoration in the last three months than in the past two decades.
The closure of West Main Street since June 24, 2023, has frustrated many. This has stalled the completion of Phase I of the West Main Street improvement project and placed significant strain on local businesses due to reduced traffic. Todd Severt, an At-Large Council Member, rightly pointed out that the fastest way to reopen West Main Street is to allow the THPA to complete their work.
This newsletter underscores the importance of the relationship between residents and their local government—a relationship that serves as the bedrock of our community. This publication dived into the topic of local government communication a few months ago:
Local government, albeit sometimes confusing, provides essential services we rely on daily and plays a critical role in our collective lives. I've had readers thank me in various settings (on the street, in the gym, in the store) for making sense of local governance. It's gratifying to know this effort is appreciated.
A key principle I hope to convey is that trust between the government and its constituents is paramount, and it's built on honest and open communication. Without it, understanding, feeling valued, and knowing what to expect becomes challenging. Unfortunately, this incident reveals yet another significant communication gap within our city administration.
No one is going to trust a local government that can’t get it’s own story straight. No one is going to trust a local government that gives the impression that it doesn’t care to listen. In the end, no one is going to trust this local government to take the right action.
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Today's city press release is another one that reads like its authors think readers are dumb. It reminds me of the "updates" that came out justifying the closing of the street without acknowledging the engineering reports that declared the building structurally sound. This release completely omits the part about paying an outside attorney to write a letter to the judge asking her to halt the work and—here's another option, please—expeditiously have the building torn down. A transparent update by the city would have published that letter (which negates most of what the press release says).