Residents find answers with ‘Town Leaders’

Written by Marla Hoffman
Thursday, 29 October 2009 10:57

During budget and election time, residents want answers to their questions and information to guide them when they go to the polls to vote.

In the past, voters who did not have had time to sit through budget workshops, debates or Town Council meetings might have found it difficult to get their questions answered.

But things have changed, and Monroe has jumped on the information technology train. In an age where people are on the go, and time seems to be the most valuable asset, online media has become the way for many people to get news about their town, state, country, and sports teams, not to mention stay in touch with friends and family.

The Monroe Courier’s Web site, monroecourier.com, is host to local news, election information, debate topics and up-to-date election results. It also contains community events, obituaries, sports and a whole lot more. Fans can follow us at Twitter.com/monroecourier or sign up for breaking news alerts on monroecourier.com.

The town is offering more services and information online at monroect.org, including voter information, tax information, Parks and Recreation sign-ups, town projects, and the list goes on.

One Monroe resident has taken the need for information to the next level and created an interactive Web site that not only gets the answers residents are looking for but also provides an open forum for discussion of the issues.

The Web site was created by Jason Desser and is called monroect.townleaders.com or Town Leaders, for short.

Residents can ask questions, and, if they’re lucky, get a response directly from one of the town leaders, who may be elected or appointed officials or other knowledgeable residents.

The town leaders can post articles about any topic, such as business, the budget, the schools, the election, the roads. Basically, there are no issues off limits.

The one rule: Keep it civil.

“We want to make sure everyone is respectful, uses their real names, and is held accountable for what they say,” said Desser, who started the site with a few of his fellow Masuk class of 1990 alumni.

“The idea is to provide a centralized place for groups and community leaders to interact with residents,” he said. “It’s about making Monroe a better place to be by opening up healthy conversations about the issues.”

Once residents create an account, they can post questions or comment on the various articles or issues that are being discussed.

“Good conversations can ensue here,” Desser said. “Town leaders or residents can weigh in on any of the issues. It’s just a new way to target the pulse of the community and really open up the lines of communication.”

Spreading the news

Town Council Chairman Enid Lipeles uses Town Leaders to post summaries of council meetings, said Desser. Other board and commission members have used the site for the same purpose, allowing residents who couldn’t make the meetings to stay current on what’s going on.

Parks and Recreation Director David Freedman has been using the site to get information out about the Wolfe Park pool construction.

“This is a great way for me to communicate what’s happening with the pool construction,” Freedman said.

Freedman said that the first photos he posted of the construction got around 600 hits.

Town Leaders is also being used to help community organizations, which can ask people to help support events, or donate to food drives or fund-raisers.

“This is a good venue to put a spotlight on all the good things happening in the town, and I think that benefits the community,” Desser said.

This past month, party leaders have used the site to get out information about the election and the candidates.

“This is a non-partisan platform,” Desser said.

According to Desser, lengthy and detailed conversations have already ensued since the site’s launch in late summer.

“I’ve been impressed with the level of participation from the candidates,” Desser said. “It’s my hope they continue to communicate through this site right through the budget cycle.”

Loud voices

The main goal of Town Leaders, said Desser, is healthy discussion of the issues.

Tanner Bokor, a Masuk junior, is one of the site’s youngest regular contributors. His photo of overcrowded buses during the first week of school was first posted on Town Leaders and reprinted on the front page of the Courier.

“My goal is to give the town a view of what the education system is like from the perspective of a student,” Tanner said. “But part of what I’m doing is informing people about what we, the students, do in the schools.”

But not everyone is a fan on Town Leaders, Tanner said.

“With anything in the public eye there is opposition and support,” he said. “I’ve been getting my fair share of both. But many take what I have to say constructively.”

Tanner is a Masuk band section leader and plans to pursue music at the Berkelee College of Music in Boston after he graduates in 2011. He said he would continue his role on Town Leaders as long as he can.

He has started a Masuk Advocacy Coalition with other students, a group he hopes will support his efforts of communicating with the community through Town Leaders.

“The goal is to get students’ voices out even more,” he said.

Positive progress

Desser admits that the site has taken on a life of its own.

“When you create something like this, the way you envisioned it is usually not the way people end up using it. As time goes on we’ll continue to tweak it, and hopefully make it better.”

Earlier this year, Desser launched another Web site, MonroeUnfiltered.com. That site is still operational, but now feeds into the Town Leaders site.

Both sites, he said, were designed with open communication and positive progress in mind. As the administrator of the site, he has the authority to take down comments that are offensive or profane.

But Desser said things have been respectful.

“People tend to get fed up with negativity,” he said. “Ninety percent has been positive, forward thinking. The negative stuff hasn’t been a focus, and I think that’s a good thing.”

Desser and his partners have invested much of their own time and money but are not yet making any money off their venture with Town Leaders.

They are looking into online sponsorships so they can keep up the cost of maintaining the site. But the goal, Desser said, is to keep it a free, online platform for the town.

“I’m from Monroe,” he said. “I want to make the town better. If I can do that through this site, that’s great.

“This is a small town where a lot of people care and want to get information out there,” he added. “The town leaders get good feedback, and that adds value to their positions.”