In the New MTL Magazine

Clearly stung by recent criticism of the amount of money that Mt. Lebanon spends on its public information function, the MTL magazine that arrived today contains a long and compelling defense of how the money is spent. I'll post a link when the piece goes online.

Meanwhile, the essay has a few juicy tidbits:

The magazine has

a circulation of 21,000 [and] is mailed to every household and business in Mt. Lebanon, goes to leaders in business, government and the arts throughout Allegheny County, and is available at neighborhood libraries as well as at coffee shops, health clubs and professional offices.

By comparison, over the last month Blog-Lebo had just over 17,000 pageviews, just over 8,500 visits, and just over 2,900 unique visitors. Blog-Lebo is available online 24 hours per day worldwide. I am told that it may be inaccessible in repressive countries such as China, off-limits for City of Pittsburgh employees, and blocked by the Mt. Lebanon School District.

Moving on, according to the Public Information Officer:

mtl's mission [is] to inform and entertain readers, providing information they need to get involved the municipal decision-making process, encouraging them to take part in community life and engendering pride in the many good things Mt. Lebanon has to offer . . . . That doesn't mean mtl won't cover problems, threats or challenges in the community, but it does mean that when we cover a negative -- a rise in crime, drug and alcohol use among teens or traffic issues, for example, we try to present the subject in a constructive way, focusing not just on the problem but on solutions that are being explored.

That sounds fine. And:

mtl will never purposely embarrass or malign a resident or a valued community institution -- that is simply not our role.

Good -- I was worried for a moment. I'm still looking forward to an mtl story on the many walking paths and stairs that offer shortcuts throughout town, how they serve as important community and neighborhood resources, and what the municipality is doing to explore solutions when conflicts arise -- like this one -- and to encourage public awareness and discussion of the difficult choices that arise when public interest touches private property.

And finally:

Still in the talk stages is the possibility of a municipal blog that would allow residents to express their opinions and talk with each other about emerging issues.

Because if you rely on mtl for your Mt. Lebanon news, you would think that Mt. Lebanon has nothing like that now. Of course it does -- check out Suburbia Calling. And Aldo Coffee's blog. And the Planet Art Blog. And the Mt. Lebanon Library blog. Just to name a few Mt. Lebanon citizen and community blogs that I like.

In truth, of course, the blogosphere, like the universe, has to expand. A new blog is like a new star, whose mass attracts masses nearby. Everyone in town, including me, should welcome an "official" Mt. Lebanon blog. The great thing about blogging is that readers and other bloggers comment and link to you. Blog-Lebo will link to the Mt. Lebanon blog, and comment on it. And the blogger reacts -- take a look at the interactivity over at Commissioner Dan Miller's new blog. That can only be a good thing for the community.