City News — Crisis & Issue Messaging
Holding the Line During Transition
Before stepping into the Communications Director role for the City of Cleveland Heights, City News was primarily used for lighter updates — events, announcements, and general city information.
Example (pre-transition):
https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Don-t-miss-free-Juneteenth-Culture-Fest-on-Saturday--Pool-Monday-reopen-on-schedule--Cleveland-Orchestra-to-perform-at-Cain-Park.html?soid=1115396448413&aid=q_nK8v4TDVY
At the same time, the city was undergoing a period of transition, with multiple active issues occurring simultaneously.
Beginning with the July 4 issue, I restructured City News into a weekly system that could carry overlapping information without splitting it across departments or messages.
Instead of separate updates competing for attention, each issue brought everything together — a consistent, predictable point of reference that residents could return to.
As the weeks progressed, the scope expanded:
infrastructure and roadwork updates
redevelopment and capital planning
internal leadership and operational changes
community events and public programming
high-sensitivity issues, including youth violence prevention
Each issue followed the same structure and cadence, allowing the content to change without shifting tone or creating confusion.
Crisis Messaging Sequence (Weekly Cadence)
→ July 4 — structural reset (first issue as Communications Director)
https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Street-Repaving-Update---Community-Celebration-at-Denison---Town-Hall-Schedule.html?soid=1115396448413&aid=vuXsZ3KLdk4
Established format, tone, and expectations for how updates would be delivered moving forward.
→ Early consolidation — multiple threads, one message
https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Street-Repaving-Update---Denison-gets-New-Turf---Fair-Housing-Workshops.html?soid=1115396448413&aid=s16IMFjMgeo
Introduced multiple active topics into a single update without breaking structure or readability.
→ System expansion — long-term + active work
https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Street-Repaving-Update---Park-Synagogue-Redevelopment---Capital-Improvements-Map-.html?soid=1115396448413&aid=ikVH-5DsgE4
Expanded scope to include capital projects and redevelopment alongside ongoing updates.
→ Internal + external alignment
https://myemail.constantcontact.com/City-Hall-Closed-for-Labor-Day---Council-Update---Refreshed-Comms-Team-.html?soid=1115396448413&aid=DhL6RI7V2OQ
Balanced operational updates with internal changes, maintaining consistency during transition.
→ High-sensitivity messaging within the system
https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Park-Arts-on-Pause---Youth-Violence-Prevention---Active-Transportation-Summit-and-more-.html?soid=1115396448413&aid=43O-GSQ-nM4
Handled sensitive community issues within the same structure, maintaining tone while addressing higher-stakes topics.
City News Sequence (July 4 – September 26)
Archive reference:
https://www.clevelandheights.gov/304/City-News-Update-Archive
This wasn’t about writing a newsletter.
It was about turning an existing channel into a system that could hold pressure — and keep multiple moving pieces from competing with each other.
