A city salesperson

Mathis Winkler

NEWPORT BEACH -- It’s come up before. At their September 1999 retreat,

City Council members talked about hiring a public information officer to

keep residents clued in to events and issues in the city.

Then, a year ago, council members set aside $36,300 for a part-time

position to help shape the city’s public image. City officials ended up

using most of the money to pay an independent consulting firm to inform

residents about new trash can regulations that went into effect last

year.

Now the topic of a “communications coordinator” is back on the table

and council members are likely to discuss the issue at their meeting Feb.

13.

While previous proposals suggested a broad spectrum of duties for a

public relations person, city officials said informing residents about

the pending general plan update could become the primary focus of the job

-- at least for now.

City Manager Homer Bludau said he met with public information officers

in other cities to get ideas for the position.

Brea, for example, keeps several public information officers on staff,

Bludau said.

Among their work is the city’s newsletter, which recently included a

comprehensive look at Brea’s pending general plan update.

Costa Mesa doesn’t have a similar official. Irvine, on the other hand,

spent $248,000 on its public information department this year, said

Heather Morris, Irvine’s public information officer.

In Newport Beach, a number of large institutions also pay for public

relations departments. Hoag Hospital only has one person who exclusively

deals with public relations, but lists about 20 people in its corporate

communications department, which also oversees marketing and advertising.

The Irvine Co. also employs a number of spokespersons.

Trying to shoulder the new employee with all of the city’s community

outreach programs, which include roughly $300,000 in brochures, right

from the get-go would probably defeat the purpose of the office, Bludau

said.

He added in future years, the city’s public information efforts could

be combined.

Bludau has proposed a yearly budget of $105,000 to $125,000 for the

office. This would include a salary ranging from $55,000 to $75,000,

employee benefits as well as money for a city newsletter.

While Deputy City Manager Dave Kiff said the trash can campaign had

gone smoothly, and city officials were pleased with the results, the

consultants were still outsiders.

“It reminded us that it would help to have someone in house,” Kiff

said.

Some council members seemed highly supportive of the idea.

“If you look at virtually every successful company in the country,

they have a public information officer,” said Councilman Steve Bromberg,

adding the city’s new spokesperson should not only try to highlight good

things going on in Newport Beach but also get out important information

to the city’s residents.

“It sounds like it’s a missing link that we need to put in the chain,”

he said.

Councilman Tod Ridgeway said he wanted to look carefully at the costs

and benefits of funding a public information officer. But considering

Newport Beach’s size and profile, employing a spokesperson might be the

right thing to do, he added.

“We are not doing a very good job of communicating to our constituents

all those things that we’re doing,” Ridgeway said.

He added residents generally know little about the city’s numerous

subcommittees and commissions that discuss issues ranging from the

airport to economic development to water quality in the bay.