Landmark Columbus is inviting city residents to a get-together with mayors participating in this week’s Mayors Institute on City Design Regional Session, with a chance to learn about their communication strategies through a panel discussion.
The event, called “Mayors, Media and Design” will be from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. Thursday at Upland Columbus Pump House, 148 Lindsey St.
Co-sponsored by The Republic, the free event is about the visiting mayors and city leaders each talking about how they communicate and connect with their communities in the context of a quickly evolving media landscape, said Richard McCoy, who leads Landmark Columbus.
The panel discussion will be moderated by AIM Media Group Vice President and Group Publisher Bud Hunt, McCoy said.
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In addition to exploring how the visiting mayors interact with their communities through media, the event offers a relaxed atmosphere for conversation about Columbus and the similar-sized cities represented by the participants, McCoy said.
After short presentations from each mayor as an introduction, Hunt will moderate a discussion about how the mayors are finding ways to communicate with a new generation of citizens who often don’t receive information through traditional news outlets.
Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop, a 2017 institute participant, will be a part of the event along with Mayor Karin Wilson, Fairhope, Alabama; Mayor Stephanie Orman, Bentonville, Arkansas; Mayor Bruce Wilkerson, Bowling Green, Kentucky; Mayor Jacob Day, Salisbury, Maryland; Mayor Paige Brown, Gallatin, Tennessee; and Mayor Michael Vandersteen, Sheybogan, Wisconsin.
McCoy said the mayors were selected because they share characteristics with Columbus — similar population size, strong cultural identity along with having a water-based assets such as a river, lake or bay.
Also, the cities are all planning for significant change and redevelopment in a variety of ways, with the institute sessions allowing them to meet in private sessions to work on a design challenge facing their city.
The Mayor’s Institute on City Design is a leadership initiative of the National Endowment of the Arts partnering with the U.S. Conference of Mayors that hopes to foster an understanding of, and an appreciation for, the role of design in creating vibrant, livable cities, and the importance of mayors in advocating good design, according to the institute.
Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop was selected for an institute session in Charlotte, North Carolina, two years ago, and former Columbus Mayor Fred Armstrong also attended a session during his term in office, McCoy said.
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What: "Mayors, Media and Design," co-sponsored by Landmark Columbus and The Republic
When: 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. Thursday
Where: Upland Columbus Pump House, 148 Lindsay St.
How much: Free
To register: Visit Eventbrite and click on "Mayors, Media and Design"
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