Princeton Township Takes Top Honors in 45th Annual Municipal Public Information Contest

NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY, N.J. Princeton Township earned the top honor in the 45th annual Municipal Public Information Contest sponsored by the Center for Government Services (CGS) at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Selected as Best Overall among 54 entries, Princeton Townships submission included a newsletter, recreation catalog, cable channel and Web site. The township newsletter is mailed to residents, businesses and other interested parties. The recreation bulletin is sent to homes in Princeton Township and Princeton Borough, and made available at municipal buildings, the library and the senior center. The cable TV channel is available 24 hours per day, seven days a week, while the Web site is regularly updated. Contest entries covered the 12-month period ending Sept. 30.

CGS Director Stuart Meck presented Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand with a permanent plaque and a circulating one-year plaque during the Delegates Luncheon at the recent New Jersey State League of Municipalities annual conference in Atlantic City.

The judges recognized Princeton Townships ability to target its public information to a wide variety of citizens through different mediums, Meck said. This contest recognizes that the ability to effectively communicate with residents is important and beneficial to both the municipality and its citizens.

Freehold Township took the honor for Best Web based on its Web sites excellent navigation and the enormous amount of information available to citizens. Galloway Township was cited for the Best Special/Innovative entry for its recycling campaign. The recycling information, which went beyond newsletters and Web sites, included a multifaceted marketing approach that targeted and tailored its recycling communications to specific audiences. Freehold Mayor Anthony J. Ammiano accepted the plaque on behalf of Freehold Township; Barbara Fiedler, director of community education, accepted the plaque for Galloway Township.

Recipients of Special Recognition certificates for print were Chatham Borough (municipal calendar); Clifton (health department newsletter); Franklin Township (municipal newsletter); and Hainesport Township (municipal calendar). Randolph Township also was given a Special Recognition certificate for its Web site design.

Barbara Chandross, a communications specialist with 16 years experience as a municipal public information officer; Mark Gordon, senior fellow and director of Healthcare Information Networks and Technologies at Thomas Edison State College; and Tamara Swedberg, an instructional technology specialist with the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, were judges. Entries were evaluated on their comprehensiveness, presentation clarity, adaptability and use by other municipalities, and user-friendly appearance.

The New Jersey State League of Municipalities and the New Jersey Municipal Management Association were co-sponsors of the contest with CGS.

The Center for Government Services is a unit of Rutgers Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. The center has been committed to serving New Jersey and local governments through continuing education, applied research and technical assistance for more than 55 years.

For additional information, contact Larry Brown at 732-932-3640, ext. 635, or larrybro@rci.rutgers.edu, or visit www.policy.rutgers.edu/cgs.

Contact: Steve Manas
732-932-7084, ext. 612
E-mail: smanas@ur.rutgers.edu