MNIT meet and confer minutes May 1, 2018

Publish Date
Committees
MNIT

Communications Deliverables and Outcomes

Date: May 1, 2018

RE: MAPE Meet and Confer

To speak to some of the concerns related to MNIT’s communications and public affairs efforts brought forward during the MAPE meet-and-confer conversation, the following document outlines some of the key strategies and efforts used in crisis communications strategy and outreach work over the last few months.

These strategies include:

  • Statewide media, stakeholder outreach and travel
  • Placement of editorials in local, regional, and statewide newspapers
  • Crisis communications and issue management, risk management
  • Highlighting key priorities in public events and press conferences

Further detail on each of these areas is below. This is not a full list of everything the Communications team has executed, but simply serves as a high-level example of the some of the major deliverables and outcomes the team has worked on, in addition to internal employee communications efforts (including executing the all-staff digital town hall with Commissioner Clyborne), projects, SEV-1s and other daily responsibilities that the team manages. Additionally, specific to the topic MNLARS, the Communications team worked to hold all-staff town hall events to ensure MNIT employees had opportunities to ask and answer questions related to the project.

Metrics

4,000 Miles
To better-engage deputy registrars, auto dealers, and other MNLARS customers in the process to fix and improve the system’s operations, MNIT traveled the state to engage them in discussions, see firsthand the challenges they are facing in the field, and gather their input for solutions.
Since November 2017, MNIT has traveled 4,034 miles across Minnesota to meet with deputy registrars, auto dealers, and other MNLARS customers. Altogether, we have held 27 stakeholder meetings around the state totaling over 40 hours. The MNIT Communications team worked with local offices to arrange these meetings, hold the spaces, organize travel logistics planning and staffed many of these events.
Those conversations and direct input were instrumental in developing the State’s timeline to fix the remaining problems with MNLARS.

104 Pages
MNIT Services staff have spent many hours replying to written inquiries from Minnesota legislators. To-date, written replies to legislators’ questions and other correspondence total 104 pages in length, include a 30+ page legislative report delivered Monday April 30th. That correspondence is available online here, here, and here.

48 hours of testimony
MNIT has spent more than 48 hours testifying in 23 legislative hearings held since September, answering detailed questions from legislators about their concerns with the MNLARS project. The MNIT Communications team attends hearings, takes notes and coordinates report-outs with agency partners and the Governors Office, participates in preparation, and designs and executes presentations.

Placement of editorials in local, regional, and statewide newspapers

  • State has roadmap to fix licensing system, February and March 2018
    • Mankato Free Press
    • Duluth News Tribune
    • Albert Lea Tribune
    • Woodbury Bulletin
    • Grand Rapids Herald Review
    • Bemidji Pioneer
    • Farmington Independent
    • Alexandria Echo Press
    • Saint Cloud Times
    • Fargo Forum
    • Owatonna People’s Press
    • River Falls Journal
    • Pine and Lakes Journal
    • Hastings Star Gazette
    • Red Wing Republican Eagle
    • Rosemount Town Pages
    • Brainerd Dispatch
    • South Washington County Bulletin
    • River Towns Gazette
  • Legislative inaction delays fixes in licensing, titles, March 21, 2018
    • Rochester Post Bulletin
  • Cyber threats require Legislative Action, editorial by Johanna Clyborne, April and May 2018
    • Fairmont Sentinel
    • Pioneer Press (coming this week)

Proactive Sit-Down Interviews

Highlighting key priorities in the press

Public Events and Press Conferences

MNIT is a state government entity and has a responsibility to be responsive, honest, accountable and accurate with reporters and with Minnesotans. Crisis communications and issue management practices include building strong relationships with reporters, pushing back on inaccurate information, working to demonstrate why a story may not be newsworthy, etc. Some accomplishments for the team include successfully managing and limiting risk.