Newly elected First Ward Councilman Andrew Casais has launched a new Facebook page dedicated entirely to Roselle Park related material as a way to keep in touch with – and inform – his constituents as well as residents. The page, titled ‘Councilman Andrew Casais’ (link), builds on a trend that started last year when members of the governing body began testing the use of social media as a means of providing reliable communication.
“I used Facebook throughout the election to spread my message as a candidate. It’s a new and very effective way to communicate information to residents,” Councilman Casais stated. Notably, in the days following Hurricane Irene, Facebook and other similar sites were used with much success to spread updated official information to and from members of the public. In some cases, social media acted as a primary source of communication since even those without power to their homes could still receive updates via their smartphones.
In addition to his Facebook page, the councilman is currently designing a YouTube channel for videos (link) and looking into establishing a Twitter account specifically to communicate with constituents and residents.
With regard to the use of technology in addition to face-to-face communication and phone calls, the councilman stated, “The ultimate goal is to ensure everyone is as informed as possible and I think this is a decisive step in the right direction.”