Shelby Township expands transparency with social media tools

As a means of expanding Shelby Township’s increased transparency to even more residents, Shelby Township Supervisor Rick Stathakis is announcing the official kickoff of the township’s Facebook account and new Twitter presence.

Both platforms allow the Township another method of reaching out to the community and relaying important information to those who need it most – the residents.

“Transparency is just a nice word to get politicians elected if it is not accessible to as many people as possible,” Stathakis said. “With this new initiative, we are hoping to open our government to the ever-expanding tech-savvy community that may not have been reached through more traditional methods.”

The Township is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CharterTownshipOfShelby and has reinvented its Twitter presence, @TheShelbyTwp.

“My deputy supervisor, Brad Bates, brought with him to Township Hall a unique skill set in building social media presences from scratch, and I am excited to have him help engage more members of our community,” Stathakis said.

“By investing these resources into a renewed online presence, we can better reach new demographics such as our township’s youth and young professionals.”

The Twitter account provides a resource for up-to-the minute reports on major events around the Township, such as road construction, utility and crime alerts.

“We made the decision to go for a new Twitter identity with @TheShelbyTwp rather than utilize the older version @shelbytwp because we wanted a fresh start,” Bates said. “Twitter is a great tool for municipalities because it provides the most accessible and easily-digestible outlet for information alerts to immediately reach an entire community.”

The new Township Facebook page joins established township pages for the Shelby Township Library and Shelby Township Parks and Recreation Department.

“These tools allow us to make the chain of information between the Township and the community as short as possible while ensuring that the message is delivered in a clear, concise manner,” Stathakis said. “This will bring our government and our residents closer than ever before.”

On www.facebook.com/CharterTownshipOfShelby, residents will find expanded updates on township activities and events, photos from around the community, detailed announcements from Township Hall and job postings from the Human Resource Department without having to wait for information to filter through a second party.

“With the official Township Facebook page and our Parks and Recreation Facebook page, we can open more eyes than ever to the great programs our Township offers the community,” said Treasurer Michael Flynn, a member of the Parks and Recreation Committee.

The new social media tools will dovetail with the re-launch of www.shelbytwp.org later this summer. The new site will be streamlined with more options for residents and other members of the community to interact with government.

“Residents will still have access to online video from Board of Trustees meetings and the Township calendar, but there will be more interactive tools,” Beth Case of the Township’s IT vendor, BPI Information Services, said. “And the design will be better suited for and more compatible with wireless devices, such as phones and tablets.”