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Communications committee advances proactive best-practices draft, plans EXCOM review
Summary
The Columbia River Gorge Commission communications committee reviewed a revised best-practices draft that adds proactive messaging guidance, asked commissioners to submit tracked edits, and agreed to present the document to EXCOM after a final week of review.
Commissioner Alex Johnson presented a revised communications best-practices document, saying the new draft adds "Part 1, telling our story, proactive communications" and cites public sources to support the approach. Johnson told colleagues the update is "version 2" and that proactive communications "is a necessity," arguing that building familiarity with the commission’s work reduces the risk of misunderstanding or funding threats.
The committee discussed audiences and channels Johnson had listed — local residents and landowners, gorge community groups, legislators and treaty tribes, regional partners — and the proposed channels: Facebook, LinkedIn, press releases, legislative briefings and community meetings. Johnson said the draft emphasizes plain language and consistent core messages rather than requiring every message to cover every theme.
Several commissioners supported keeping the guidance at the committee level and using it as an umbrella for sensitive topics, reserving a separate engagement plan for later. Commissioner Steve Hoffman said such a plan could map goals and measurement tools; another commissioner suggested revisiting metrics after a year of use. Staff said volunteers currently shoulder much of the work and that hiring a communications consultant is a future possibility dependent on budget.
The committee agreed to give commissioners another week to submit tracked edits to Christina, after which the document will be forwarded to the executive committee (EXCOM) for consideration. The meeting record shows the committee favored low-cost, volunteer-led actions now and to defer high-cost proposals pending better funding.
The committee also approved the May 19 meeting summary and moved on to other agenda items.
