Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann talks with therapist Jill Smith on
Rickenmann's podcast, Around Town. Photo: City of Columbia.
As technology has continued to grow so has the number of communication methods available to municipalities, public officials are tapping into ways to connect directly and personally with their constituents. Podcasts, social media groups, town hall meeting, website alerts — all are part of municipalities’ communication toolboxes.
In the City Columbia, Mayor Daniel Rickenmann’s Around Town podcast, found at www.aroundtownpodcast.com, was born out of his desire to shine a light on what is happening in Columbia.
“From local businesses reaching milestones to nonprofit organizations hosting impactful events, there’s so much good happening in our community that often goes unnoticed,” said Rickenmann, who has served as Columbia’s mayor since 2022. “I started the podcast to amplify these stories, to help residents and visitors discover the true heart of Columbia.”
He said while building the podcast was initially a slow process, it has taken off over time, with community members now pitching their own stories.
The podcast has received a strong response from constituents, students and visitors, he said, and has “been a fantastic way to build a deeper connection with the community.”
“It’s important to connect directly with residents because it shows them that their voices matter,” Rickenmann said. “Listening is essential, but going the extra mile to meet people where they are and create meaningful spaces for conversation is equally important.”
A key lesson for podcasts, he said, is understanding the importance of consistency and authenticity.
“A podcast can be a powerful tool, but it’s essential to be genuine and stay true to your mission. If you're genuinely interested in the stories of your community and take the time to highlight what makes it special, people will connect with you,” he said.
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the community aid station at the
North Augusta Community Center provided water, food and charging stations.
Photo: City of North Augusta.
In North Augusta, Mayor Briton Williams was thinking about ways to communicate directly with residents even before he was elected.
“When I decided to run for mayor, one of the things that drove me crazy was if you were a citizen, the only way you could talk to council was to wait until the very end of the city council meeting. And, depending on what was on the agenda, that could be kind of late,” Williams said. “I thought, there’s got to be a way to let citizens speak besides that.”
When he was running, he spent time with several mayors around the state, and learned about Rock Hill’s practice of having residents speak before the council’s official meeting. Once he was elected, Williams met with the council and city administrator to set up something similar. They came up with the “Public Power Hour.”
Now, on the first Monday of each month, time is set aside for residents to come before the seven council members and city clerk — no administrators or directors are present — for an informal conversation. As city councils must give public notice of their meetings in accordance with the SC Freedom of Information Act, the distributed agendas will typically list the Public Power Hour as taking place at 5:30 pm., followed by the regular meeting at 6 p.m.
“We don’t vote on anything, we don’t make decisions, but it helps that they get all of us listening,” Williams said. “This has been a very powerful way to give people an opportunity. Citizens like it because it’s informal. It’s not as intimidating as a regular council meeting.”
And it has resulted in real change. For example, after hearing from a business owner voicing concerns about the city’s towing practices, the council looked into the issue and changed its policy.
It’s not the only way North Augusta aims to connect and give residents a voice. Williams and others periodically visit spots around the city for community engagement meetings. There also is a citizen involvement form on the city website, inviting residents to help with activities or to sit on boards and commissions. In the past four years, he said the city had appointed 22 new people to boards and commissions who had never served before, and nine of those came from the citizen involvement form.
A prime example of outreach came in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which caused extensive damage to North Augusta. In the aftermath, city leaders stepped up their communication efforts — with both internal and external audiences.
“We were getting the information out, but the citizens helped us, too. We would post something and they’d say ‘Are you aware of this?’ We were communicating with our citizens daily on things they saw that we hadn’t gotten a hold of yet.”
The mayor also started doing a series of videos a few days after the storm.
“The mayor should be the face of the community. I knew citizens needed to hear from me,” he said. “I did three-or four-minute videos on my cell phone. I would say, ‘I’m on Day 11, too, and guess what? I don’t have power in my house either.’ It was a way to hear the mayor take questions and say, ‘Here’s what we’re hearing and let me tell you what’s really happening.’”
The postings resulted in a lot of positive feedback from residents, and increased engagement that continues on its social media sites.
Tega Cay Mayor Pro Tempore Carmen Miller and Councilmember Tom Hyslip select
the dates and locations for their “Chats with Council.” Photo: City of Tega Cay.
The City of Tega Cay has very engaged residents who want to be informed about what is happening in the community, said City Manager Charlie Funderburk.
“The hard part is finding the best way to reach the most [people], but even then, we still have people telling us they don’t know what is going on in the city,” he said. “We try to make it next to impossible to not know what is going on.”
The city pushes out information through its website, and residents can sign up to receive alerts, emails and texts when information is released. Tega Cay uses social media and its city app, making sure to post information across the board. It also has started a new way for face-to-face meetings where residents can bring questions or concerns to council members.
“’Chats with Council’ is something that started this past spring and was the idea of Mayor Pro Tem Carmen Miller and Councilman Tom Hyslip,” Funderburk said. “The two of them schedule a place and time, the city then pushes it out to our residents and the two of them handle things from there.”
Meanwhile, the city has decided to expand its City Manager’s Report — which has been a standing item on the council agenda for at least 10 years — to now include specifics about various departments. It is then posted online for public viewing.
“We want to empower people to get the answers to their questions without having to call or visit city hall. We love hearing from and seeing them, but calling or visiting city hall during business hours isn’t always convenient,” he said. “Hopefully with the frequency and content of our communications, we can put the information in their hands that they can process at a time that is convenient for them.”
Funderburk said front-line staff that interacts with the public are often the best sources for knowing the type of information that needs to be pushed out.
“People these days seem to have short attention spans. Don’t communicate a novel if you can cover the pertinent information with a paragraph, and don’t use a paragraph if you can do it with a 45-second video,” Funderburk said. “You have to assume people are rarely going to dig through your website looking for answers. They want it delivered to them. Your job is to figure out what info they want and how they want it and just take a deep breath when those things change without notice.”
His last bit of advice: “Have fun with it when you can. Everything doesn’t have to come across as the 6 p.m. news. Step out and be creative and don’t panic if it doesn’t work. Just keep trying and keep evolving.”