Thursday, January 27, 2005

We begin the task of collecting contact information for the city officials

As has been remarked numerous times of late, the city of New Albany’s web site leaves much to be desired compared with those maintained by cities of comparable size.

Fortunately, one of the most important sections, that of City Clerk Marcey Wisman, is complete and certainly will assist citizens in the navigation of her office’s myriad duties.

The remainder of the web site is inconsequential, at best.

Late last year, the topic of the city’s site was raised at a meeting of the East Spring Street Neighborhood Association. The evening’s guest speaker, the estimable City Operations chief Anthony “Tony” Toran, noted that the site admittedly would require much further development, but that it was far less expensive than the far more comprehensive one favored by the previous discredited Republican administration.

(As a sidebar, useful features on the abandoned site of the Overton administration included a direct link to city ordinances and yearly salaries of city officials and employees*.)

As sales pitches go, “New Albany: Cheap But Inadequate,” is not something most organizations would wholeheartedly embrace. Sadly, it seems perfectly suited to the banana republic mentality prevailing hereabouts.

“Comfortable in Our Squalor” and “My Kid Beat Up Your Honor Role Student” also leap to mind.

NA Confidential noticed that around Christmas, 2004, Tony Toran’s e-mail contact information disappeared from the city’s web site**. We retained a cached version:

City Operations - Anthony B. Toran: ttoran@cityofnewalbany.com

A brief Google session reveals the following contact information for City Council members (except Larry Kochert), courtesy of a Louisville Courier-Journal election preview from Sunday, November 2, 2003.

1st District: Dan Coffey 949-1262; 797-8347
2nd District: Bill Schmidt 945-7386
3rd District: Steve Price 941-9032
5th District: Beverly Crump 948-2603
6th District: Jeff M. Gahan 542-0889, GAN2020@aol.com

At Large: Donnie Blevins 944-4856; 727-0516; 944-9654
At Large: Jack Messer 949-9638, jackgeorgemesser@aol.com
At Large: Mark Seabrook 944-9644, 944-6455

According to the Southern Indiana Economic Development Council, Mayor James Garner can be reached at this e-mail address:
newalbanyed@aol.com

A helpful correspondent has further suggested that the Mayor’s official e-mail address is:

mayor@cityofnewalbany.com

And, finally, the phone number of the city switchboard is:
948-5333

We’ll continue to build this data base of information in the hope that it will assist the cause of communication … and continue to regret the necessity of doing so.

References:

* Ordinances remain available on-line, but are not linked to the city's web site as they were previously

** The city says “contact us,” but the information’s not here.

4 comments:

All4Word said...

Coincidentally, I'm gathering much of the same data, and will share with you as necessary.

Dan and Denise said...

I noticed on city of new albany site it gives a spotlight section dated November 26th. Additionally, christmas decorations were still up last week?
wow they are so far ahead this year!

edward parish said...

Exuse me Dan, but I feel all you are intending to do here is stir the shite, no matter what the issue is or what the topic is. This is not the intention of this blog. True information and educational is what is the position here. Please leave your stirring at the hat check sir if you please, it is not constructive for the cause.

The New Albanian said...

There are several matters to address.

First, "dan" (not his real name?) does not work for me.

Second, "dan" does not speak for me.

Third, from what we've been given, there is no way to validate the origin of the note from the Mayor, who is right about one thing: There's really know way to know who you're talking to until you're face to face.

That's the problem with the Internet.

I'll have more to say about this - just not tonight.