What follows is the text of a letter sent to the Falls Church City Council and general government this week that represents a proposal to massively expand the City government’s ability to report to and be in touch with its citizens on a reliable and ongoing basis.
This is the text as also delivered in person by our owner-editor at this Monday’s City Council meeting. His presentation elicited no comments at the time:
“It is noted that City policy decisions are now routinely being made with very scant inclusion of public input, namely, such as the ‘dot voting’ at the recent public events for prospective accessory dwellings legislation and even circulated petitions that are touted as representing a legitimate sentiment even if signed by only 300 of the City’s 15,000 residents.
“I propose to you that, insofar as Falls Church is now the only jurisdiction in the region that has its own weekly newspaper delivered to every address, you take advantage of this unique capability to do a far better job of reaching, and thereby hearing back, from your constituents. The proposal is that the City revive the policy that worked well for eight years in the earlier part of this century when it commandeered two full pages in each edition of the Falls Church News-Press. to communicate directly with the entirety of the City’s population.
“The pages, the brainchild of the late City Manager Dan McKeever, were presented as clearly distinct from the FCNP proper and under the arrangement there were no misunderstandings among readers about the distinction between the paper and the City Pages carried therein. I urge you to direct the City staff to revive this uniquely effective tool.”
McKeever’s original arrangement was terminated in the midst of the Great Recession in 2007 after it had run successfully and seamlessly for seven years. Now, with the City of Falls Church enjoying an unprecedented prosperity, including within that an ability to significantly lower the real estate tax rate as a result, the two main objectives running concurrently with the ongoing plans for continued quality of life improvements are for (1.) a meaningful expansion of affordable housing opportunities and (2.) a better method of communication with the residents of the City, including the thousands just moving in.
It cannot be overstressed in this regard how the City of Falls Church stands alone in the wider region, if not nationally by now, for still having a weekly general interest local newspaper that is highly regarded in the community it serves and has reliably been circulated to every household here for 33 years. Mayor Hardi acknowledged that in public remarks made over the summer.
To squander this unique resource would be a tragic disservice to everyone in Falls Church who needs the information that this offer will provide. Print and paper are still by far the most effective mode of disseminating information that can be studied and retained, as many research efforts have shown.
