The Month In Review - December 2024

Taking a look back at the last month of 2024

December tends to be quiet

On the local civic scene, December tends to be a very quiet month. Budget processes are wrapping up and projects tend to slow down as the weather colder and the calendar turns towards another year. January will certainly show some excitement as candidates for local office will start making announcements and gearing up for both primary election in May and the general election in November.

Last month, Civic Capacity completed it’s sixth full month of daily coverage on topics important to Miami County. The original goal of our publication was to come up with an original analysis or story every three days. But, as the stories and the audience grew, that there was an opening for something more — something daily. In fact, this is the 469th edition of this newsletter.

It is important for our readers to know that 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 vital community-based project. If things weren’t happening in our community, if people weren’t interacting, there wouldn’t be much to write about. That is why your support as either a free or contributing subscriber to this project is critical!

And this is where I really need to thank you —- the readers of Civic Capacity. The readers of this work are some of the kindest, most generous, and most encouraging people I could ever ask to be a part of this project. The notes, the texts, the phone calls are all welcome, and I am so tickled we are on this journey together to make our hometowns great places to call home!

The Big Story

This past month’s most read story was a piece that talked about how the City of Troy’s Mayor continues to fail when it comes to the appointment process to citizen boards and commissions. The Mayor started an online process where individuals can apply to serve on boards and committees. The problem is that the Mayor freely admits she doesn’t use the process. This piece alone was read by 2,000 individuals.

Civic Capacity: Inside the Numbers

Throughout the month, our publication was growing. Our free subscriber list grew at a 4% clip, we ended the up where 1,726 people were receiving this newsletter when a new edition drops. Those generous individuals who make a financial contribution to our effort grew by 4% — Thank You Supporters!

If you have not considered being a paid subscriber to this effort, January is a perfect month to make the decision to support an effort that brings you closer to local government and local decision making than any other publication out there. By being a paid subscriber, you have full access to all our past editions and also can interact in the comment thread.

Perhaps, even more importantly, you are supporting a community based publication without annoying paywalls (like the Miami Valley Today) or annoying advertisements that disguise themselves as stories (like the Dayton Daily News). And I am not trying to knock those publications, they are running their own shops, and they are providing a service to the community. However, this publication believes that the news and analysis that are provided here should be as open and widely shared as possible.

Last month, Civic Capacity had 30,059 separate views throughout the month — six straight months of over 30,000 views! Each day nearly 1,000 views of our work occurred, which means more and more individuals are finding value in this project and that is heartwarming!

This actually a pretty impressive number. From what I have learned, efforts like this usually have a pretty hard slog in the latter months of the year, so to see our readership remain strong in the face of other distractions, such as the holidays, when readership really falls off, is huge!

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: pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.

A New Way to Support this Work!

If there is one thing I have learned over the past fifteen months, it is that our readers absolutely love the work being done here. There is a strong core of readers that can’t wait for the latest edition of this newsletter, and I get comments all the time that they love learning about their hometown, regardless of what town that is. However, many of those readers want an option to support this work without signing up for a subscription.

Well, this publication is now listed on “Buy Me A Coffee”. Which is absolutely hilarious, because I don’t drink the stuff. However, the “Buy Me A Coffee” platform allows readers like you to put a few shekels in the pockets of “digital creators” like myself, in a one-off manner, without the hassle of a subscription. Since the time this publication has partnered with “Buy Me A Coffee”, we have had 4 generous donors provide 24(!) ice-cold beverages! Thanks to Marla, Stewart, Wilson and Richard for your generous donations!

I have had a few readers that want to know more about the platform works. Well, here is a quick rundown.

When you click the button below:

You will be transported to the Civic Capacity page on the “Buy Me A Coffee” platform. From there, you can choose to buy 1 coffee, 3 coffees or 5 coffees at a cost of $5 per coffee. Click on your level of support and a pop-up window will come up for you to enter your debit or credit card information and that’s it! You can also leave your name and leave a nice note. It’s a new way to support this effort and while I won’t purchase a coffee, I will certainly purchase a nice refreshing glass of iced tea, which is much more my style.

Of course, if you want to sign up for an annual subscription of $50, that would be helpful as well. Through your subscription, you are keeping local news and analysis free for everyone. Unlike other local publications, Civic Capacity doesn’t have annoying paywalls or monthly article limits. This newsletter has carved out a place as being one of the few places where residents can get fair and honest analysis of the decisions being made in our local communities. Your subscriptions help keep that work moving forward.