The Month In Review - April 2024

From an old building to a new idea for the Public Square, April seemed to have it all

April was quite the month for the community….and Civic Capacity!

As much as I might be the one producing and creating this publication, this is certainly by no means a “one man show”. There are scores of folks that have invested time, money, suggestions, and perhaps most importantly, encouragement, into this endeavor. This continues to underscore the fact that Civic Capacity is a community-based project. If things weren’t happening in our community, if people weren’t interacting, there wouldn’t be much to say. That is why your support as either a free or contributing subscriber to this project is critical!

One of the activities I want to undertake in this newsletter is to take time to look back at the growth of this project and bring forward new ways you can help support this effort.

If there is one thing I have learned about growing this newsletter, it is that this project is filling an unmet need; good, honest and quality analysis of the events that are shaping our local civic life. The growth of this project has exceeded expectations, and while that growth is good — getting new people in the conversation isn’t a bad thing — it does mean we are all looking at this project from a different perspective.

One of these different perspectives is that we have all learned about this newsletter at different times, so whether this is your first time interacting with Civic Capacity, or your 100th, we are going to take a look back at the month and go over some great ways you can interact with this effort.

In his book, Good to Great, Jim Collins talks about how organizations often through hard work and discipline achieve the “flywheel effect”. Through painstaking hard work, things start to become easier and the tangible results are clearer to see. Is this project at the point where the “flywheel effect” is starting to be seen? It certainly feels that way. This publication is certainly growing and expanding each and every day.

Last month, Civic Capacity had 25 separate editions go out, which just does to show how busy April was. We spent time talking about a new historic preservation ordinance in Piqua and how the local library is looking for public input in their latest strategic planning process.

Of course, the IOOF/Old Miami County Courthouse took up a ton of digital real estate. From a costly load test requirement that was waived to the opening of West Main Street, this project did its level best to chronicle some of those moments. Being on hand for the hastily-put-together ribbon cutting for West Main Street was one of the most heartwarming experiences I have had living in this community. Dozens of our friends and neighbors came together to celebrate the Troy Historic Preservation Alliance’s amazing feat of restoring the building and getting West Main Street back open!

Now, some of you have asked that now that the building is done, what in the world are we going to talk about here at Civic Capacity? Well, don’t fret. It always seems things are happening in our area, and sometimes a story that is talked about here takes on a whole life of its own. There is no better case in point than the story of the meeting that took place at the Redman’s Lodge to talk about downtown improvements. That story has been viewed over 5,100 times; the most read story our publication has had up to this point.

What was interesting about this story was how this simple analysis of a slide show given to the public literally took on a life of its own.

This publication was called out (including me personally) on multiple social media posts and threads for “spreading a false narrative”. Personally, I had to chuckle at that one. I am pretty good at analyzing and articulating facts and figures, and I’ll be the first to admit I am not real good at creating stories. A novelist is not something that is in my future. I guess I should thank those folks for giving me more credit than I truly deserve.

There was also a comment on a thread that said the pictures I used in one of the editions of the newsletter were not taken from the presentation that was on the city’s website. Trust me, I am not talented or skilled enough, nor do I really have the time, to fabricate visuals that people get paid handsomely to create.

Perhaps the kicker was this comment from an elected official:

It seems to me that certain people in city hall don’t want you to think or discuss the things that are happening in your community with other people. Of course, these are the same individuals that love to put out grand public pronouncements on social media and then block public comments.

I think in some respects, we always knew certain individuals felt this way, but this was the first outright admission of this. It’s like they were saying the quiet part out loud.

Civic Capacity: Inside the Numbers

Despite our publication’s good name being tarnished by certain public officials, our community is growing. Our free subscriber list grew by a healthy 5.5%, right now 1,400 people are now receiving this newsletter when a new edition drops. Those generous individuals who make a financial contribution to our effort grew by 21% — since February 1st our paid subscriber base has grown by 70%! If you have not become a paid subscriber to our effort, please consider it. With your paid subscription, you have access to all back issues of our newsletter and access to our paid-subscriber chat!

Our publication also had 32,332 separate views throughout the month, another strong month. That means in March, we had over 1,000 views of our work, which means more and more individuals are finding value in this project and that is heartwarming! Thank you!

Have Your Say!

If you have a contribution you want to make to Civic Capacity, please let us know! Whether it is a guest editorial, a letter to the editor or a column you wish to contribute, we would be happy to publish your ideas and your insights.

Unlike traditional media sources, you aren’t limited to word counts, nor will your ideas be stuck behind a paywall. We believe in the free exchange of ideas and welcome your contributions. Send your ideas to: william.lutz17@gmail.com.

This publication was extremely grateful when one of our readers, Bruce Clingan, took the time to write a thoughtful opinion pieces that is still being actively read today:

Sponsorship Packages Available for Civic Capacity

Looking at the readership of Civic Capacity, it is clear that we are creating a community of loyal readers that are becoming more engaged with their community; over the past month we have averaged over 1,000 readers a day to our newsletter. If you own or are part of a small business and would like to become a sponsor of Civic Capacity, we have developed a month-long sponsorship package. If you are interested, please email me at william.lutz17@gmail.com and we can get the conversation started.

Help Grow Our Publication!

One of the best ways you can help grow our publication and our community of civic minded and aware individuals is to share our work with your friends and neighbors!

Thanks for reading!

March was an amazingly successful month for the Civic Capacity Newsletter, and I am grateful for all of your support! If you ever have any comments or questions, please feel free to drop me a note at william.lutz17@gmail.com.