MARLBOROUGH – Mayor J. Christian Dumais wants to create a new position within the mayor’s office – communications and special projects director.
In a letter submitted to the City Council, Dumais is asking for the new position to help improve communications between city departments and residents.
Dumais outlined some of the current challenges – a municipal website in need of an upgrade (funds were recently approved by the City Council); the use of just one social media platform; maintenance of a monthly city newsletter; and little to no resources when it comes to training on communications tools.
Should the city approve the new position, the director would oversee the city’s website, including its upgrade and redesign and the implementation of ChatBot.
To improve the city’s presence on social media, Dumais wants to add Instagram, along with WhatsApp in order to provide information in Portuguese and Spanish.
“In today’s digital age, providing communication at a 21st-century standard is essential to the success of a modern organization,” he said.
The director would also oversee the training of each department on the best use of social media channels; creation of flyers/advertisements/graphics; website use and updating; communication best practices; and more.
Dumais is hoping to recruit someone who can speak Portuguese “to assist with internal translation services and outreach to the growing Brazilian community within the city.”
“This position will be an invaluable resource for all staff and departments to rely on for the website, social media, training, and communication strategies and best practices,” said Dumais.
The position would be 40 hours with benefits; the salary would start at $79,000. To fund the position for the remainder of fiscal 2024, Dumais wants to transfer $25,900 from the position of substance abuse coordinator, which has been vacant for more than a year.
The director would report to the chief of staff.
The City Council has sent the request along to the council’s Finance Committee, which is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
“It’s long overdue,” said City Councilor David Doucette.
