FB Moving To Create Volunteer Information Panel..

[Freehold Resident]

All: This is a little blurb in the Press about the approval of Freehold Borough's first-ever Public Relations committee.
-FR

www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770705069

Freehold moving to create volunteer community information panel
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 07/5/07

BY NICK PETRUNCIO
FREEHOLD BUREAU

FREEHOLD — The Borough Council on Monday voted 4-0 to adopt an ordinance to create an all-volunteer "Community Information Committee.''

Borough attorney Kerry Higgins said she was not sure if anyone had been appointed to the panel yet, but that would be the next step. Traci DiBenedetto, the borough clerk's assistant, said today that no one had been appointed.

Three people volunteered earlier this year to serve on the committee:

Steven Le Vine, 25, of Barkalow Avenue, who works in public relations and is the son of Councilman Marc Le Vine;

Brian Sullivan, 36, of Mead Street, who works for the county and runs a local issues-based Web site in his spare time;

Lisa Schofield, 41, of the Raintree apartments in Freehold Township, a freelance writer and editor whose contract work includes assignments for Asbury Park Press publications.

Schofield said they don't know what projects they will be working on.

"We're going to be finding out within the next few days. We're probably going to have an informal meeting within the week and see what projects we're going to start,'' Schofield said.

[LS]

Freehold said:

Borough attorney Kerry Higgins said she was not sure if anyone had been appointed to the panel yet, but that would be the next step. Traci DiBenedetto, the borough clerk's assistant, said today that no one had been appointed.
...
Three people volunteered earlier this year to serve on the committee:
...
Schofield said they don't know what projects they will be working on.

So, are the 3 volunteers on the commmittee, or aren't they? Higgins and DiBenedetto aren't so sure anyone has been appointed, but Schofield is confident she is on it...

Well, they are sure to get a lot of ideas from this website. Anyone ever hear of the 3 volunteers??? They sound familiar...

[Freehold Resident]

The three created the committee, so I imagine it would only be right if they were to serve / be appointed. But regarding appointments by the mayor, that is necessary and must happen in order to fill the different roles (chair, secretary, etc.) And that of course has not been decided yet.

FR

[ls]

First, thanks for buttering me up... (that's one way to get answers from someone, right?)

I would think before taking any specific suggestions, you need to develop or understand the structure of this committee, its guidelines and goals.

ORGANIZATIONAL THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE GETTING DOWN TO SPECIFICS
(1) Does the committee have a budget? If not, are you prohibited from getting corporate sponsors?

(2) Are you working in conjunction with the FCP? Should your efforts overlap or include anything that the FCP is doing? (By the way, isn't the FCP and Allen Consulting already getting paid for this very thing?)

(3) What does the ordinance say that established this committee?

(4) Can you work with other towns, or are we isolating just Freehold Boro? For example, work with Asbury to promote Bruce related publicity; work with the township, Manalapan, etc. to focus on our Revolutionary history; etc.

(5) VERY IMPORTANT: who is the PR aimed at? the whole world; the whole state; people within Freehold; people looking to move to here, or stopping people from moving out of here. Don't forget gateways to the community, such as realtors and reaching people that work, but don't shop or eat here on a regular basis (think county employees). Does a promotion have to be changed depending on who is being targeted? Develop a packet for realtors; see if realtors would be willing to give out Freehold packets to their customers? These are 2 very different ideas and the packets to realtors and their customers would probably be different.

(6) Do some homework... Have other towns established a similar committee/ have they changed their image? While each town is different, Asbury Park and Red Bank have undergone image changes... You may want to pick their brains. You may want to talk to Jayne Carr and Allen Consulting about some of their successes and failures in reaching people. They also sometimes do surveys. They will hopefully know what you are fighting against.

(7) Develop a comprehensive plan of attack before going at it piecemeal. (You wouldn’t want your efforts to be negated, or duplicated by later plans; or to not receive attention because the APP just printed a story about Freehold)

(8) is the committee pro-active or re-active? or Both? is it preventative? Do you react to bad PR, prevent a committee from making a bad PR move, or go on the offensive with good PR? All three?

(9) Make a list of good and bad things about the community. Make a list of bad things about the community. Accentuate the positive. Work to overcome the negative. Sounds simple, right?

(10) Newton’s PR law: For every action think if there will be a negative reaction. For example, a letter to the editor touting our diversity, may get a response that we are not tolerant.
Should PR committee members observe other committees? (see rental property committee number 15 - who couldn't see bad PR coming out of that?) You may want to enlist the ideas of people like FF and Baldwin, especially if you want to do a PR event that you want to get media coverage on?

[Marc LeVine]

I would think before taking any specific suggestions, you need to develop or understand the structure of this committee, its guidelines and goals.

Hmmmm....LS...spoken like a true prospective volunteer! But, then, you'd have to reveal your true identity to us. Sounds like you know your PR stuff and such.

Besides, you know how these creative types are poor in administration and organization!

By the way, there are some really great committee appointments to be made, including someone recently connected with the YES network (Yankees) - an on-the-air personality! I am amazed at how many top notch PR and media people live in the Borough or within a few minute's drive. Lucky for us.

Marc

[TNT]

LS said:

Freehold said:

Borough attorney Kerry Higgins said she was not sure if anyone had been appointed to the panel yet, but that would be the next step. Traci DiBenedetto, the borough clerk's assistant, said today that no one had been appointed.
...
Three people volunteered earlier this year to serve on the committee:
...
Schofield said they don't know what projects they will be working on.

So, are the 3 volunteers on the commmittee, or aren't they? Higgins and DiBenedetto aren't so sure anyone has been appointed, but Schofield is confident she is on it...

Well, they are sure to get a lot of ideas from this website. Anyone ever hear of the 3 volunteers??? They sound familiar...

Athos, Porthos, and Aramis,

[ls]

more like the three amigos:

[TNT]

ls said:

more like the three amigos:

PLEASE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

NO WAY JOSE, WRONG PR COMMITTEE FR!

[TNT]

[TNT]

OPPPPS



TRUE MENS MEN!!!

NO PERFUME SPRITZING METROZEXUAL FROGS FOR THESE SWASHBUCKLING HUNKS FROM THE MIND OF DUMAS (PRONOUNCED "DO-MA", NOT "DUM-ASZ" AS YOU YANKEE DIDDLERS WOULD SAY)

[LS]

calliope said:

I sincerely doubt that Schofield, the woman in the group, would appreciate being compared to a man!

why, who cares? she's not here.

or would she rather be Milady.

[TNT]

calliope said:

I sincerely doubt that Schofield, the woman in the group, would appreciate being compared to a man!

No man can ever compare to you as you stand by your own shining glow, lighting the way for the manly men, who, if not for womanly women like you, would forever be committed to a dark abyss of abyssness, Ms Miss!

and now, I MUST retreive my hip boots, as it is getting thick here...

remember.... 'La Fille de d'Artagnan', as Olivia the Female Musketeer

[admin]

TNT,

You got me peeing my pants! At least noone brought up the three stooges or called me Lenin again.

;D

[admin]

LS said:

Freehold said:

Borough attorney Kerry Higgins said she was not sure if anyone had been appointed to the panel yet, but that would be the next step. Traci DiBenedetto, the borough clerk's assistant, said today that no one had been appointed.
...
Three people volunteered earlier this year to serve on the committee:
...
Schofield said they don't know what projects they will be working on.

So, are the 3 volunteers on the committee, or aren't they? Higgins and DiBenedetto aren't so sure anyone has been appointed, but Schofield is confident she is on it...

Well, they are sure to get a lot of ideas from this website. Anyone ever hear of the 3 volunteers??? They sound familiar...

LS,

The three mentioned are the ones who came up with this idea and worked at getting the proposals to the council and Mayor. Councilman Marc LeVine helped out a great deal and has backed this initiative up all the way.

It is premature to say that anyone has been appointed. Protocol dictates that we have to hear it from the Mayor. It is reasonable to assume that at least Lisa and Steve will be on the committee, they work in related fields. But that is just assuming at this time.

[admin]

LS asked

ORGANIZATIONAL THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE GETTING DOWN TO SPECIFICS
(1) Does the committee have a budget? If not, are you prohibited from getting corporate sponsors?

The committee has no budget, which will require some real creativity.

(2) Are you working in conjunction with the FCP? Should your efforts overlap or include anything that the FCP is doing? (By the way, isn't the FCP and Allen Consulting already getting paid for this very thing?)

The committee will be working in conjunction with any FB entity that can be found. The FCP has a precision goal whereas the new committee is more of a blanket for all of Freehold. Stepping on their toes has been discussed and will be avoided. Working with other groups will be more complimentary.

(3) What does the ordinance say that established this committee?

Be more specific


(4) Can you work with other towns, or are we isolating just Freehold Boro? For example, work with Asbury to promote Bruce related publicity; work with the township, Manalapan, etc. to focus on our Revolutionary history; etc.

Very good questions to be explored

(5) VERY IMPORTANT: who is the PR aimed at? the whole world; the whole state; people within Freehold; people looking to move to here, or stopping people from moving out of here. Don't forget gateways to the community, such as realtors and reaching people that work, but don't shop or eat here on a regular basis (think county employees). Does a promotion have to be changed depending on who is being targeted? Develop a packet for realtors; see if realtors would be willing to give out Freehold packets to their customers? These are 2 very different ideas and the packets to realtors and their customers would probably be different.

LS, every single question you ask has been thought of by the committee. The committee generally views two type of targets, outside the town such as visitors, possible new businesses and new residents and those who already live here. The real estate issue has been discussed as well.

(6) Do some homework... Have other towns established a similar committee/ have they changed their image? While each town is different, Asbury Park and Red Bank have undergone image changes... You may want to pick their brains. You may want to talk to Jayne Carr and Allen Consulting about some of their successes and failures in reaching people. They also sometimes do surveys. They will hopefully know what you are fighting against.

Very few towns have volunter groups like this new one. Most use paid professionals, while our town is seeking to use volunteers. Looking at what other towns are doing is being done and has been for quite some time.


(7) Develop a comprehensive plan of attack before going at it piecemeal. (You wouldn’t want your efforts to be negated, or duplicated by later plans; or to not receive attention because the APP just printed a story about Freehold)

The plan is to start easy and small, establish momentum, build relations and think long term. Absolutely comprehensive.

(8) is the committee pro-active or re-active? or Both? is it preventative? Do you react to bad PR, prevent a committee from making a bad PR move, or go on the offensive with good PR? All three?

This committee is proactive. This committee is NOT a political entity meant to deal with hardball topics or bad PR. This is not a damage control committee for the Mayor's office or any other. The focus is purely on positive PR and getting info to our residents as well as those who see our town from the outside.

(9) Make a list of good and bad things about the community. Make a list of bad things about the community. Accentuate the positive. Work to overcome the negative. Sounds simple, right?

Simple? Yes. We have discussed this and plan on going further than your inquiry does.

(10) Newton’s PR law: For every action think if there will be a negative reaction. For example, a letter to the editor touting our diversity, may get a response that we are not tolerant.
Should PR committee members observe other committees? (see rental property committee number 15 - who couldn't see bad PR coming out of that?) You may want to enlist the ideas of people like FF and Baldwin, especially if you want to do a PR event that you want to get media coverage on?

There are always naysayers and those who poison. ( I am not pointing that finger at any one person) They can bite me. Most of your question can not be answered honestly at this time. The answers you seek depend on how the relations with other committees goes. The CIC will be a blanket committee with all of Freehold in mind. The most general statement I can make on your number 10, LS, is that the CIC is founded under the belief that Freehold Borough is a great town, with great people from all walks of life. I believe this town wants to move ahead in a good way. I do not see why or how anyone could want to go against that.

[Corvette Guy]

Hi guys,

I'm usually a lurker, but I found interest in this particular thread.

I happen to have gone to high school with Steve Le Vine and talk to him every so often and he's pretty cool and very approachable. Very hip. He's pretty much seen as a go-getter and is involved with a lot of things. The last time I spoke to him he had just started up his own entertainment PR firm. I believe the web site is www.theprgrapevine.com or www.prgrapevine.com -- He's very involved with the town too..I think he's on another committee also. The last time I spoke to him about his company he was telling me about all of these celebrity clients he was getting. And he's always been the type of guy who would do anything for anyone. I don't know the other two, Lisa and Brian, but I have heard really great things from Steve and some others about them, so I'm sure this is going to be really good for the town. Hope that helps understand some of them a little better. Just my 2 cents.

Jason

[admin]

Corvette said:

Hi guys,

I'm usually a lurker, but I found interest in this particular thread.

I happen to have gone to high school with Steve Le Vine and talk to him every so often and he's pretty cool and very approachable. Very hip. He's pretty much seen as a go-getter and is involved with a lot of things. The last time I spoke to him he had just started up his own entertainment PR firm. I believe the web site is www.theprgrapevine.com or www.prgrapevine.com -- He's very involved with the town too..I think he's on another committee also. The last time I spoke to him about his company he was telling me about all of these celebrity clients he was getting. And he's always been the type of guy who would do anything for anyone. I don't know the other two, Lisa and Brian, but I have heard really great things from Steve and some others about them, so I'm sure this is going to be really good for the town. Hope that helps understand some of them a little better. Just my 2 cents.

Jason

Hello CG,

You mentioned about Steve being involved in the town. He is on the recreation committee.

I agree with your endorsement of Steve, he is good. You should see him and Lisa together, they are a very good team with alot of resources and ideas. Both of them have a lot of experience that will be of value toward this committee.

[fiberisgoodforyou]

admin said:

TNT,

You got me peeing my pants! At least noone brought up the three stooges or called me Lenin again.

;D

Welcome my friends to the UNOfficial I'm NOT...Joe Franklin down Memory Lane PEOPLE Post!

Brian....before there was Moe Larry and Shemp or Curly... ....and now forgotten

A publicity still from the 1938 feature Straight, Place and Show. The brothers, from left to right, are Jimmy, Harry (who was typically in the middle of group shots), and Al.

They all behaved identically, making it harder for audiences to tell them apart. The ringleader was always rubber-faced, mouthy Harry, with Jimmy and Al enthusiastically following his lead. They frequently broke into songs and dances during their feature comedies. A fine example of the precision dancing they were originally known for is performed to the title song in "You Can't Have Everything" (1937), about a hour into the movie.

Their talent was also noted by Samuel Goldwyn, who borrowed them from Fox for his Technicolor variety show, The Goldwyn Follies (1938), where they appeared with other headliners of the day including Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. Perhaps their most successful film during this period was Fox's musical-comedy version of The Three Musketeers (1939), co-starring Don Ameche. Later in 1939 the Ritzes staged a highly publicized walkout (complaining about the low quality of their latest script, The Gorilla).

Now..NAME THESE BROTHERS!---------------------



And yet another forgotten trio..

Sisters Martha (June 9, 1905 - July 2, 1958), Connee (December 3, 1907 - October 11, 1976), and Helvetia "Vet" (May 20, 1911 - November 12, 1988) were raised by a middle-class family on Camp Street in uptown New Orleans, Louisiana. Martha and Connee were born in Kansas City, Missouri. Helvetia was born in Birmingham, Alabama.

The name of their song "Rock and Roll" is an early use of the term. .It is not one of the sisters' hotter numbers; it refers to "the rolling rocking rhythm of the sea"

The Andrews Sisters started out as imitators. Young Ella Fitzgerald loved the Sisters and in particular idolized Connee, after whose singing style she patterned her own.

NAME THERE SISTERS........................................


Gotta run, the 78's are skipping, the Vic needs winding and NIPPER needs feeding!

[fiberisgoodforyou]

OK VIC (old fahion MP3 Player) and Nipper (Iconic of all Trade Marks) may be too obsure for some, this pic sould sum it all up....



ohh, in case you need help with the Joe Franklin referance...www.sonymusic.com/artists/JoeFranklin/joefrank.wav