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07/14/2015 11:30 AMUntil recently, visitors to the Town of East Haven website www.townofeasthavenct.org could find lots of municipal information—assuming they had both patience and persistence in equal measure. A revised website and the purchase of laptop computers for Town Council members are part of a move to increase government transparency—a move that has been welcomed by all parties in this election year.
The Town of East Haven this month launched a redesigned website that it says is aimed at delivering a more streamlined, user-friendly experience for residents seeking information or communication with town officials. In conjunction with the launch of the website, the town has also announced plans to issue Chromebook laptop computers and official town email addresses to Town Council members to facilitate communication to distribute meeting agendas.
Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr., said in a press release that the use of Chromebooks was cost effective and would facilitate “an open dialogue between the town’s elected officials and their constituents.”
“Elected officials work for the residents and they should be easily accessible to residents with questions. As a result, we are implementing emails for our Town Council members and providing them with the technology they need to respond efficiently and effectively to residents’ questions,” said Maturo.
Once the Chromebooks and emails are up and running, Town Council members’ email addresses will be featured prominently on the town’s new website.
Maturo, who is seeking re-election in November, said the revised website “continues to contain a wealth of information about the town, our officials, and the many services we offer. This new website builds on that information and offers residents exciting ways to stay engaged and up-to-date with respect to town news.”
East Haven Democratic Town Committee Chair Richard DePalma agreed, saying the “long overdue new website” was easy to navigate, and information like meeting minutes is “now much easier to access.”
At the new website, residents can now sign up to be notified with “E-Alerts” when updates occur on specific issues, in emergencies, or even when agendas for meetings are posted.
Maturo said he formed a committee six months ago, appointing Frank Gentilesco, Danelle Feeley, Paul Rizza, and Attorney Joseph Zullo to coordinate the overhaul of the website. During that time, according to the town press release, the committee garnered responses from 11 different companies.
Ultimately, the committee chose Virtual Towns and Schools, a Massachusetts-based company, to complete the redesign of the site and the migration of the town’s 500 individual pages and 1,500 PDFs.
Gentilesco, the town’s Director of Administration and Management, said, “We’re absolutely thrilled with the job that Virtual Towns and Schools has done so far. As part of the re-design process, they solicited input directly from department heads as to how to make the site better for our residents.”
Maturo concluded, “Good government is marked by sound policies and effective communication with residents. With this new citizen information portal, residents, town employees, and elected officials have a convenient, reliable way to share information and communicate.”
With the improvement in the town’s ability to communicate through the improved website, the next step to transparency is ensuring the information stays current.
Democratic Town Committee Vice-Chairman Ed Sabatino said he was happy to see the website finally get its “much needed upgrade,” but stressed that “a website is only as good as the information put into it.”
Residents can explore the town’s new website at www.townofeasthavenct.org.
Contact Jaki Lauper at j.lauper@shorepublishing.com with East Haven news ideas.