The Month in Review - September 2025
Vol. III, No. 129 - Looking Back at a Productive Month here at Civic Capacity
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September - A Busy Month
Last month was another very and productive month here at Civic Capacity! For each of the past three months, our newsletter has received over 40,000 views. Even better, this publication has been recognized on the Substack platform as one of the fastest growing newsletters they host.
Also, one of the new series that Civic Capacity will be working on is a group of stories called “My Hometown”. In this work, I want to learn about YOUR hometown. Maybe it’s the place you call home now, or maybe it was the place you grew up. Either way, I believe that the places we live in have a huge impact on our lives and want to explore that impact with you! If you are interested in participating by having me ask you just a few questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com!
The Big Story
Last month’s most popular story here at Civic Capacity took us to Piqua where we have seen concerted efforts by the City Commission to openly antagonize residents when those residents come to the podium to speak about legislative items. Bascially, public participation is nothing more than a mere formality in Piqua, rather than a principle that is value and appreicated.
Civic Capacity: Inside the Numbers
Throughout the month, our publication was growing. Our free subscriber list grew at a 0.5% clip, where currently 2,448 people were receiving this newsletter when a new edition drops. Over the past year, our free subscriber list has grown by an impressive 63%! Those generous individuals who make a financial contribution to our effort grew by 3% — Thank You Supporters!
Our publication also had 41,102 separate views throughout the month; each day nearly 1,400 views of our work occurred, which means more and more individuals are finding value in this project and that is heartwarming! In fact, our readership has grown nearly 34% over the past year!
This actually a pretty impressive number. From what I have learned, efforts like this usually have a pretty hard slog in the Summer month (June to September), so to see our readership remain strong in the face of other distractions, like getting the kids back to school and settling into our post-summer routines.
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 and the opportunity to comment on all our posts!
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.
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 over 26 generous donors provide over 78(!) ice-cold beverages! Thanks to Judy, Diane, Steve and Julie 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.
A New Handbook to grow Civic Capacity!
Recently, we created a new digital handbook, “The Citizen’s Guide to Public Records”. This handbook is designed to help residents have a better understanding of public meetings and meeting records. It’s filled with templates, ideas and other information that will open a new world of public affairs.
Also, if you have ideas for future handbooks, please let us know at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.
Want to Learn More About Troy’s Businesses?
Our publication has recently released our September 2025 Economic Abstract, the most comprehensive and up-to-date report on the businesses and industries in the City of Troy. For those that want to understand our community’s business and industries, this is a must-have report.
Thank you to our New Media Partners!
Recently, many of our stories has been showing up on the local news website, www.mymiamicounty.com. We are grateful for the good folks for sharing our work with their audience and we would encourage our readers to check them out at their website!
Our publication would also like to recognize the good work being done at www.piquanewsnow.com. Piqua News Now is a new web-based news and information site for the Miami County area, with a specific focus on Piqua!
In addition, the good folks at Piqua News Now have started a new, 24-hour streaming YouTube channel. This channel is awesome with continuous weather updates and more importanly, it provides a 24-hour audio feed from county wide dispatch. Check it out here!
You Can Help Support This Work!
Our readers and subscribers have been asking for a new way to support the work being done here at Civic Capacity! Some of our readers do not like the idea of having to sign up for another subscription service. Some of our subscribers occasionally want to give more support through a one-time transaction.
Civic Capacity is partnering with “Buy Me A Coffee” to give our readers, subscribers and friends an opportunity to give one-time support to Civic Capacity. Personally, I don’t like coffee, but I will never turn down a nice iced tea. If you feel compelled to support this effort, just click the button below. In other words, this is an online tip jar.
Also, thanks for reading today’s Civic Capacity Newsletter! Please feel free to share this information with your friends and neighbors.
Also, please consider subscribing to our work. If you are a free subscriber, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. For less than $1 a week, you can get timely and conversational updates about the decisions that are impacting you and your community!
Civic Capacity is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.