It's a regular Google Blogger blog like you and I might set up to share our vacation adventures or our knowledge of Dylan trivia, only it's about the City of Saint Paul, maintained by Clarice Tushie-Lessard, Mayor Chris Coleman's press secretary, and its look and purpose couldn't be more different from the usual online presence of city government.
By "usual online presence of city government" I mean...kinda crowded and kinda dull. Useful, civic-minded, and gov-nerdy.
"Spotlight on Saint Paul," by contrast, seeks to highlight the Saintly City as as a scene.
The first issue, which went live on Monday, June 3, leads off with a notice of the upcoming tenth anniversary of
Music in Mears (Park), a concert that will feature local singer-songwriter (and ex-Heiruspecs hip-hopper) Martin Devaney--and there's video of Devaney performing solo in an aisle of
Eclipse Records.
Speaking of videos, did you know that the City of Saint Paul has won awards for its You Tube offerings? Of no fewer than 650 vids on
the city's YouTube channel, a hundred have won kudos from various state and national entities, as the next post points out. The most recent nods have gone to "Minnesota Fallen Firefighters Memorial Dedication"--an Award of Excellence from the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators--and an Award of Merit from the same body for "Support a Lowertown Ballpark." (I didn't know people gave civic-video awards--do they have a nickname? "Govvies?")
The blog's maiden voyage is filled out with two more posts: an aerial view of The Penfield, the giant mixed-use development on the block bounded by 10th, Minnesota, 11th, and Robert streets downtown, and a writeup that lists the many amenities (including fire pits, a dog wash, and a Lund's supermarket) that the project will offer tenants and the neighborhood. And a reminder of the local National Night Out Kickoff Picnic on June 5--today, at this writing.
Tushie-Lessard promises two or three new posts per week in this vein--things that are happening in the Capital City, stuff that makes for a sense of urban fun, evolution, and energy.
And check out that firefighter memorial video below--see if you think it's worth a Govvie.