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Communications coordinator outlines outreach gains: Daily Planet column, KOTO show, social media, Spanish translation and quarterly newsletter
Summary
Suzanne Chevens, the county's communications coordinator, reported progress on a communications plan including a monthly column in the Daily Planet, a monthly show on KOTO radio, a new quarterly newsletter, social media expansion and the first full Spanish-language translation of the State of the County address.
San Miguel County's communications coordinator, Suzanne Chevens, updated the Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 12 about a year of work to expand public information and outreach, including new channels and a succession plan for the communications role.
Chevens, who said Feb. 28 will mark her second year in the newly established communications coordinator role, summarized steps taken to increase community engagement and accessibility: a monthly column in the Telluride Daily Planet called "Commissioner's Corner"; a live monthly radio show on KOTO called County Lines; a pilot "Coffee with a Commissioner" program; the county's first full Spanish‑language translation of the State of the County address, run as a full‑page ad; the launch of Instagram; growth in Facebook engagement; a quarterly email newsletter (next due in mid‑March); and ongoing press releases and advertising as warranted.
"As of February 28, it'll be my second year in this position," Chevens said. She told the board the communications work aims to increase clarity about where residents can find information and how they can provide feedback.
Operational highlights she gave the board: - The county has a regular ad in the Daily Planet and Norwood Post; Chevens said the ad appears in each edition and is used for notices, board and commission openings and important deadlines. - The County Lines radio show on KOTO runs monthly with staff and elected officials as guests. - "Coffee with a Commissioner" events have been piloted by all commissioners; turnout is small but gave commissioners an intimate way to reach constituents. - Social media growth has included launching Instagram, reviving Facebook engagement and directing residents to the county's "Notify Me" sign‑up for agenda and topic notifications. - The communications team provides administrative support for county projects including the co‑responder program, wellness committee, accessibility efforts and the county's response to outside litigation matters when communications input is required.
Commissioners praised the coordinator's work and discussed further refinements, including whether the county's newspaper ad could include top agenda items and whether the county should broaden its "Down Valley" notify‑me sign‑up to more general Down Valley updates. Commissioners and staff also discussed a planned county services assessment survey slated for April–May.
Chevens closed her presentation with a brief note about succession planning for the communications role and quoted Joseph Pulitzer: "Put it before them briefly so they will read it clearly; make it vivid so they will remember it; and above all, make it accurate so they will be guided by its light."
