Would you use an app to connect with your city council representative?
David Cox is testing the waters.
Cox launched a mobile app, available on Apple and Andriod devices, in November in an effort to move away from social media as his primary means of communicating with constituents. The app is essentially a carbon copy of his website with the addition of a static button inviting you to “Send Message to David.”
The button takes you directly to Cox’s city email. So far, about two dozen people have downloaded the app (including this reporter.)
Cox, who was a bit salty after the results of the election ousted his buddies Stef Mendell, Russ Stephenson and Kay Crowder from the council, launched the app last year claiming he was moving away from social media because people are mean.
If you’ve ever interacted with Cox or his supporters on social media, you probably see the irony here.
Cox told the INDY he launched the app to better connect with residents.
“The app is a convenient tool to connect people to my website,” Cox said in an email. “If you don’t have the app, you can use a browser to visit the website. Everything posted on the website is public. Any messages sent to me through the app are actually emailed to my city email address and are publicly available. There are notices on my posts that comments may be subject to public records requests.”
The city attorney’s office declined to answer the INDY‘s questions in regards to the app’s compliance with public records laws, stating, “we cannot give our legal opinion about something that’s not a City function and with which the City isn’t involved.”
Fellow councilor Jonathan Melton sees no issue with the app.
“I think any way you can increase access to a council member is good, so good job for doing it,” Melton told the INDY.
If any of your darlings had launched an app like this, you would have fallen all over yourselves praising it. And the usual critics would be offering to help all the other councilors set up one as well. And giving the innovator a stellar social media report card. The irony is indeed palpable.
Again, Leigh Tauss is letting her bizarre obsession with Councilor David Cox get the best of her. She’s written about her obsessive tendencies in the past but this is over the top. It seems like Councilor Cox is simply introducing a new way of communicating with his constituents and should be applauded. If you’re desperate for a story, the seven INDY- approved councilors offer plenty of fodder, including NOT changing the so called rules of decorum in any meaningful way as Leigh Tauss said they would…. The only change was to when you have to sign up to speak, not being able to mention specific councilors, police chief, other city officials, etc. These people are known public figures but you can’t say their names in a council meeting without getting Commissar Baldwin’s gavel!
Report the facts!