A Look Back, A Look Ahead

Happiest of holidays to you, dear reader, as 2023 slips into the rear-view mirror

For those of you who celebrate the birth of Jesus, a belated Merry Christmas. For those who don’t, a right-on-time Happy Holidays.

As we close out 2023, foremost in my mind is a big, sloppy “Thank You” kiss to Good Government Files subscribers. I had been kicking around the idea of a blog/newsletter highlighting the good work being done in government for a few years before launching GGF in June. I truly appreciate your readership.

Let’s take a quick look back at 2023.

Top posts were:

1. Politics Vs. Governance

2. Together, We Rise

3. Playing the Long Game, One Life at a Time

4. Firefighting 3.0

5. Dealing with The Big Lie

I want to single out a few folks for their help in making some of these top posts possible.

First shoutout goes to my good friend and mentor Jim Nuse, who suggested the profile of Leander, Texas, firefighter Ulyses Sanchez that resulted in Playing the Long Game, One Life at a Time, Parts 1 and 2. Judging by the responses, y’all had as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

Second thank you goes to Reyne Telles, Chief Communications Officer with the City of Fort Worth, for setting up the interview with Councilmember Michael Crain for Together, We Rise. I think Crain’s heart for effective government shone through in the post. We need more elected leaders like him.

More gratitude to another local gov comms pro I’ve known for years, Dana Baird of the City of Frisco, Texas. Dana scored me a same-day (!) interview with her Mayor for the post Keeping Your Eye on the Ball, which was the No. 6 most-popular post of the year. And Mayor Jeff Cheney is another one of those elected leaders we need more of in these maddening times: thoughtful, mission-driven, courageous.

Last but not least in the personal thanks goes to Lyle Sumek, who inspired Politics Vs. Governance, the top-performing post of 2023. We sat down for dinner when he came to Round Rock this summer for a City Council workshop and he provided the backstory for his lamentation of how politics is trumping governance in recent years (no pun intended, MAGAteers).

I used the Maui wildfires as an example in the Politics Vs. Governance post, so I was excited when my friends at 3CMA did a podcast earlier this month with Lauren Henrie, communications consultant with Maui Rescue Mission, a non-profit that provides resources to the homeless on Maui.

Lauren provides some real insights in crisis communications as someone who was on the ground during that horrific week but wasn’t directly responsible for informing the public. Here are a few highlights from the podcast:

• The Maui fires (there were more than just the one in Lahaina that got all the attention) started on a Tuesday. It wasn’t until Thursday that the County got its first direct messages to the public out on Facebook, and regular radio updates didn’t start until Friday. That tells you all you need to know about the severity of the emergency, and the need to have a plan for getting the word out when all hell breaks loose.

• One of the most challenging aspects of the crisis was how quickly the fires moved. Shelters and safe zones had to be moved as the blazes shifted direction.

• Don’t be afraid to go public with whatever information you have, even if it’s incomplete. “Be out there, and be very clear,” Lauren said. “Get out there and share,” even when you don’t have all the details. To that end, she said swapping information with reporters can be hugely helpful. In other words, don’t be afraid to ask them what they know, what they’ve heard.

• Her non-profit began partnering on day two with churches and businesses to get supplies to Lahaina on the west side of the island. Roads were blocked, so they chartered boats and made their deliveries by sea. They didn’t wait for permission; they saw a need, improvised and did what they could to help. Love it.

Great job by good friend Tom Bryson interviewing Lauren for the podcast. Take a quick half hour during your holiday break and watch it.

So what’s coming in 2024?

Glad you asked. At some point in coming months I’ll be putting up a paywall. So, fair warning. If you’ve been considering becoming a paid subscriber, here’s an incentive to go ahead and pull the trigger.

I’ll also be providing review and commentary on books related to governing. The first will be The Fifth Risk¹ by Michael Lewis. The basic premise of the book is that most folks have no idea what federal government agencies actually do. I found it fascinating … and maddening. A GGF reader recommended The Soul of Civility² by Alexandra Hudson after reading the Dealing with The Big Lie post. Pipe up in the comments section to let me know any other good books we should discuss.

Happy New Year!

Onward and Upward.

1. Paid link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

2. Ibid