By Michele Owen, Communications Director, City of Muncie—
MUNCIE, IN—When the phone rings at City Hall, there’s no telling who’s on the line. It could be a simple question, a profanity-laden tirade, or a grieving widow unsure where to turn. For executive assistant Shareen Wagley and receptionist Lindsay Fink, the protocol is the same – answer the phone and try to help.
In the first three weeks of June alone, the mayor’s office received 2,763 phone calls, for a total of 110 hours and 47 minutes on the phone. According to Wagley, about half of those calls are redirected to other departments. “Nine times out of ten, the department will let me know it was received and the steps being taken. If I don’t hear from them, I usually follow up to make sure.” Fink added, “I truly take pride in helping the caller.”
The only time a call or email is ignored is in the case of an obvious scam or a safety concern. Recently, an individual was flooding the phone line with bizarre requests and threats of violence. After the police department discovered that the caller was on national police databases for harassment, the number was blocked.
What about reaching Mayor Ridenour directly? According to Wagley, not everything is forwarded to the mayor, because some questions are better addressed by department heads, the city engineer, or the deputy mayor. This allows citizens to communicate directly with experts, and it lets Ridenour do his job. During business hours in June, the mayor’s calendar was booked more than 115 hours, not including travel time between meetings, unexpected emergencies, or appointments before and after hours. The remaining 44 hours and 15 minutes of “unscheduled” time leaves just over 2 hours per day to get work done.
Receptionist Lindsay Fink is pictured. Photo provided
Actively maintaining transparency is a complicated undertaking. Studies have shown that the average person has to see information 7 times before feeling familiar with it, which means that important information needs to be published multiple times. For example, board and council meetings are open to the public, livestreamed, and posted as videos on the City’s Facebook page. Minutes and agendas are posted on the City website, along with attachments and other documents, which was not the norm prior to Ridenour’s administration. In two and a half years, Ridenour has livestreamed 273 Community Updates, and hosted 32 public forums, in which the Mayor and two department heads share updates and answer questions.
Mayor Ridenour values the hard work of maintaining public communication. “When I ran for office, I wanted my administration to be transparent. I want citizens to have easy access to information, and a good understanding of ongoing projects. So much goes into running a city, and we’re trying new strategies to fix gaps in public understanding.”
Communications Director Michele Owen can be reached at mowen@cityofmuncie.com, and is eager to implement new ideas to improve citywide communication. And don’t hesitate to pick up the phone – someone will be on the other end of the line, ready to help.
