Hampton’s Mayor Molly Ward has launched two new community outreach initiatives via the Internet – the Mayor’s Blog page and an “Ask the Mayor” feature – that build upon Hampton’s tradition of involving citizens in their local government.
Both new initiatives recognize that the Internet has become a primary source of information and interaction for a large and growing segment of the public.
The Mayor’s Blog, located at the web address http://hamptoncommons.com/mayorsblog, will give insight into her day-to-day activities and decisions and spotlight the work being done by City Council members, citizen volunteers, community organizations and other local leaders. The Mayor’s Blog has also been added to SmartRegion.org‘s Hampton Roads Blogroll, too.
“I’m going to keep a running diary about what I’m doing, where I’m going, and who I’m running into. I hope to highlight a lot of citizens who might not otherwise get attention from other media, so you can find out about all the amazing citizens and unique people we have in the city,” Mayor Ward said.
Meanwhile, the new “Ask the Mayor” feature will be a weekly outreach in which citizens are invited to submit questions for the Mayor or City Council members to answer. One question will be selected each week. The citizen asking the question as well as the elected leader who answers will be videotaped.
Hampton citizens may go to Web address: http://hamptoncommons.com/ask-the-mayor, where they can find an online form. There also is a method for citizens to submit their own videotaped questions.
While Mayor Ward is accessible to Hampton citizens in many ways, she said the “Ask the Mayor” feature can help citizens who don’t have the time or comfort level to meet with her in person.
“Maybe they didn’t feel comfortable doing that when they saw me at the grocery store, and so I’m hoping they will feel comfortable doing it through the web site,” she said.
Citing the City Council’s desire to make Hampton’s elected and appointed officials more available to residents, Mayor Ward said, “There are a lot of people who now get all of their information online, so we think it’s important to tap this resource and make sure that we are reaching the citizens who may not be getting their information from other places.”