Lady Lake commissioners are deeply divided on a social media presence for the town and livestreaming public meetings.
Mayor James Rietz declared at the opening of a workshop Thursday morning at Lady Lake Town Hall that he hoped the commission would be united in moving forward with a social media presence and livestreaming meetings.
“I want this to be an ‘all or none’ approach,” said Rietz, a resident of the Historic Side of The Villages, who initiated the discussion. “There is a lot of good technology out there we are not using.”
John Pearl, the town’s internet technology director, said that social media and livestreaming could promote “engagement and transparency.” He said that it is apparent the town cares about appearances, thanks to the care taken with landscaping, litter control and design standards. He said the same care should be taken with the town’s image on the internet.
“When you arrive in Lady Lake you know you have arrived in a place that cares about its appearance,” Pearl said.
He said the town’s website, www.ladylake.org, receives about 4,000 viewers per week and 20,000 viewers per month. He indicated those numbers could rise dramatically if more information is offered.
He added that social media “can humanize us and build trust.” He pointed to Eustis as a nearby community that is effectively using social media.
In addition, livestreaming town meetings via the internet could make them more accessible to the public, he said.
Pearl said adding experienced communications professionals to the town’s payroll could be a first step toward building a social media presence and livestreaming. He said the town could add two communications professionals in the near future and more in the years ahead.
The idea of adding to the town payroll prompted Commissioners Ruth Kussard and Tony Holden to slam on the brakes.
Kussard, a resident of the Village of La Reynalda, said her constituents prefer the “personal touch” and don’t want be be referred to a web page.
“If they have a problem, they want to talk to their commissioner or come to a meeting and be heard,” she said.
She and Holden both expressed fears that adding staff would increase budget pressure and there would be no tangible results for the money spent. They both said the money would be better spent on issues residents are concerned about, like roads.
Holden added that he thought the mayor has been caught up in the potential glitz and glamour of social media and livestreaming.
“I think Mr. Mayor, you’re getting carried away with this,” Holden said.
However, Commissioners Paul Hannan and Ed Freeman both indicated a willingness to move forward with the exploration of social media and livestreaming.
“We need to keep up with technology,” Hannan said.
The support of Hannan and Freeman would give the mayor a 3-2 advantage on the issue.
Yet, the mayor’s “all or nothing” approach came back to bite him. There was no official vote, because it was a workshop session, but the spilt was undeniable.
Town Manager William Lawrence said two more workshops had been planned to further explore social media and livestreaming. However, by the end of Thursday’s workshop, Lawrence said there is no reason to proceed with the followup workshops.
