Comments on: UPDATED: New communications blood at Ottawa City Hall

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:27:10 +0000

Gotta wonder about salaries topping $80k for communications. Aren't newspapers, etc. going out of business? The City should have used that as leverage to negotiate a lower salary. IMHO.

By: RealGrouchy

RealGrouchy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:58:39 +0000

I also learned a couple weeks ago that former Citizen reporter Jake Rupert is also in a comms position at City Hall.

On the recent hires, I think their first job will be to spin the replacement of one $180K a year Communications Director with three new hires at $80-90K each as consistent with the hiring freeze, the Mayor's desire to cut staff, or to trim expenses.

- RG>

By: Nat

Nat — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:09:11 +0000

Very well said.

Sounds to me like they just shot the messenger on this one. I don't thing hiring three reporters is going to help the press the City gets...

As one of my former bosses said "You can't polish shit." I think Council and the City just aren't doing a very good job.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:04:23 +0000

Quite interesting how some are going over to the "dark side" of communications, so to say.

I cannot help myself but chuckle when I read that people are frustrated by the lack effeciency so to say once a story breaks.

I continue to believe that communicaitons people are often the ones taking the fall for f... ups made by someone higher up. Why is that?

By "knowing how to talk to the media" does that mean they will succeed in spinning all of these so called "goofs" made by City officials as well as other policy/decision makers?

And what about the approval process? How many people need to weigh in on something "breaking" before the media relations person can even return a phone call.

It just baffles me. Nonetheless, good luck to them.