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Candidates pledge more plain-language communication, town halls and new outreach tools
Summary
Candidates urged expanded communications to reach residents who do not use Facebook: proposals included e-newsletters, text blasts, one-page budget summaries, town halls in each quadrant, office hours and distilled materials to help seniors and other residents understand city issues.
Candidates at the Ferndale seniors forum emphasized proactive, plain-language outreach to engage residents who do not use social media. Quinn Ziegler and Eddie Sabertini suggested e-newsletters, opt-in text-message alerts and one-page budget summaries; Sabertini proposed town halls and regular office hours. Laura Michalski recommended using existing mailings tied to utility bills as a model and direct mailings for timely notices; she also recommended push notifications and text-based alerts for subscribed residents.
Why it matters: Candidates said clearer and more frequent communication builds trust and improves civic participation — especially for seniors and people not on social media.
Details discussed: Proposals included using existing systems (snow-removal text lists) for broader alerts, piloting a health and wellness commission, holding regular quadrant town halls, and creating distilled one-page guides for budgeting and millage issues. Candidates debated whether to develop a dedicated municipal app, noting apps can be costly and require maintenance; all agreed communication tools must be accessible to residents who are not app users.
Ending: Candidates pledged to pursue a mix of digital and printed outreach, expand town halls and office hours, and produce clearer one-page materials for complex topics; no new communications contract or program was adopted at the forum.
