Graham sounds off on constituent communication

Watertown Mayor Jeffrey E. Graham is a man who isn't shy about sharing his opinion. The mayor blends his former TV newsman instincts with a barkeep's connection to the community to keep his constituents in the know using a variety of mediums that include an AM radio talk show, a blog, e-mail, Twitter and his cell phone.

In recent years, the mayor has been more apt to post a blog entry about city news than calling a press conference in front of City Hall. We asked him recently to tell us what his thoughts are about communicating with constituents in 2010:

You have been mayor on and off for more than a decade, beginning in January 1992. What venues do people use to reach out to you when they have a comment or question about the city?

Mayor: When I first ran for mayor in 1991, conventional wisdom was that owning a tavern was a political minus, but I found over time it has been a way to keep in touch with a range of people not likely to visit a Council meeting or be at the usual events and functions the mayor attends.

Obviously those formal meetings and functions are a way to keep in touch, as is the daily radio show called the HOTLINE (WATN 1240), which I have done since 1992.

More recently, I have started a blog called Mayor Graham's View. While the discourse is mostly political, I find it a way to share my views and hear other people's as well. Anywhere from a couple hundred to several thousand see the blog daily. There are also the usual ways of contacting me by telephone or e-mail, and I try to be around town at events or local businesses.

The Privilege of the Floor period offered during City Council meetings only draws a couple of comments at each meeting. Is public involvement in the legislative process still at a level it was at when you first took office?

Mayor: My first Council meeting was while in high school, attending as part of a project, and Joe Rich (then at TV7) was nice enough to make sure I felt at home. I believe Mayor Rand was presiding. There were a couple of regulars commenting at meetings through the years like Joe Spano and Marianne Cerroni (sic). Now we have Wayne Zimmer.

Usually people only come when they have something to complain about, and attendance varies greatly from empty to several dozen. Sometimes students or scouts attend as part of a project. Also, we are now webcast and there are some viewers there, although I wish the major news websites would link to the feed so more could see it.

I do find fewer people with an intimate knowledge of how a legislative body works. That is too bad.

You update a blog regularly, host a radio show and make regular public appearances. Which medium do you think is most important to maintain regularly to interact with constituents?

Mayor: These are all important, but I like doing the blog since I enjoy writing. I also find I keep up on things from a variety of sources because there is the expectation among my modest number of readers that I have something worthwhile to say.

I used to be a journalist, now I just play one on the Internet.

How do emerging media play a role in communicating with city leaders? Do you think people are more willing to communicate with you if it is as simple as typing a question to you on your blog?

Mayor: The old way of doing things is fading. I read the different web sites, including the WDT. I watch a lot of cable news, mostly MSNBC and FOX. In the car, I listen to talk shows. It's like the early days of the country when there was no mainstream, establishment media, but instead niche media and everything had its own slant.

I haven't watched a network newscast in ages. I still maintain whatever the medium, it's all about content, and it must be fast and accurate as well. The old days of "it's news when we run it," are over.

There is also an ability now for individuals to get their viewpoint out without going through the traditional "gatekeepers" of news. But like I said, it still comes down to quality of content and presentation. There are a lot of blogs written everyday solely for therapy, because nobody reads them.

Where do you see the city heading in the future when it comes to communicating with constituents?

Mayor: I am a borderline Luddite sometimes with new technology, so I am not the best one to ask.

The Internet is clearly the main battlefield. We have a good website and it is used. We will continue to use traditional media and we would hope that someday media outlets will take over the job and cost of putting public meetings and events on the Web. Hopefully there is a market for it.

I would like to see laws changed to allow public notices to go out through the Internet, as that would save money for the people.

I don't think government should try to replace private media with its own delivery systems. There are plenty of things people look at everyday. We just have to make sure every outlet gets the material.

I do worry about those left behind with technology and computers, so we need to not forget them as well.

Mayor, please add any additional comments about the topic here. Is there anything about communicating with the constituency that I'm not asking that you feel is important?

Mayor: Just remember, with all the gadgets, the best communication is face to face. To that end I will continue to be in my City Hall Office....on the street....or working at Fort Pearl. Everyone is welcome to talk to me anytime.