Audio recording of the July 15, 2026 Town Council Communications Subcommittee Meeting (audio)

FM #1782 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1782 in the series. 

This session shares the Town Council Communications Subcommittee Meeting. The meeting was held in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Building on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

 

Subcommittee Chair Caroline Griffith, members Jane Callaway-Tripp, Max Morrongiello, and Gene Grella also participated. Town Administrator Jamie Hellen, Operations Manager Julie McCann and Director of Communications & Community Engagement Liz Kalaijian participated.

Quick recap:

• The joint email response policy was approved by the subcommittee to bring to the full Council as amended (4-0 vote)

• The vote on social media guidelines for elected & appointed officials as amended was also approved to send to the full Council by a 4-0 vote

• Discussion on the work plan, Max raised some items discussed in prior meetings that did not make it to this listing

• Discussion on the scope of the committee, is it for Town Council communications or for communications on all of Town business?

The recording runs about 2 hours & 23 minutes, so let’s listen in.

Audio link - https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1782-town-council-communications-subcmte-mtg-07-15-26/

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The Franklin TV video is available https://www.youtube.com/live/waSCPZX58RM?&t=247 

The agenda and released documents for this session

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07152026-2412 

My notes in one PDF - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QjT_rM8lx14IKucFaXsUAC26x6f-k6wk/view?usp=drive_link 

-------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

• And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach. We’ll share and show you what and how we do what we do

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news 

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Communications Subcommittee sends email response and social media guidelines to full Council (video)

The Communication Subcommittee of the Franklin Town Council met as scheduled on Wednesday, July 15 in Council Chambers. All 4 members were present.

The Franklin TV video is available https://www.youtube.com/live/waSCPZX58RM?&t=247

The agenda and released documents for this session

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07152026-2412

Quick recap:

• The joint email response policy was approved by the subcommittee to bring to the full Council as amended (4-0 vote)
• The vote on social media guidelines for elected & appointed officials as amended was also approved to send to the full Council by a 4-0 vote
• Discussion on the work plan, Max raised some items discussed in prior meetings that did not make it to this listing
• Discussion on the scope of the committee, is it for Town Council communications or for communications on all of Town business?

My notes in one PDF - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QjT_rM8lx14IKucFaXsUAC26x6f-k6wk/view?usp=drive_link

Agenda for Communications Subcommittee - Weds, July 15 at 6 PM

Communications Subcommittee 

Agenda & Meeting Packet

July 15, 2026 = 6:00 PM

Meeting will be held at the Franklin Municipal Building 355 East Central Street - 2nd Floor, Council Chambers

Agenda:

1. Discussion: Debrief on Town Councilor attendance/presence at early summer 2026 community events

2. Town Council Office Hours follow up discussion

3. Constituent email response policy/protocol

a. Draft Town Council Email Guidelines   https://franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10152/DRAFT-Town-Council-Email-Guidelines

4. Review and formal recommendation

a. Draft Social Media Engagement Guidelines for Elected & Appointed Officials  https://franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10110/DRAFT-Social-Media-Engagement-Guidelines-for-Elected-and-Appointed-Officials-PDF

b. Reference: Page 3 of Rules of Procedure defines Role of the Franklin Town Council  https://franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8362/2026-02-04-Draft-Rules-of-Procedure-v2-FINAL-APPROVED

5. General discussion: next steps, priorities, and questions

a. 2026-2027 Communications Subcommittee work plan  https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/9592/2026-2027-Communications-subcommittee-work-plan---DRAFT

b. Draft Town Council Community Engagement Ideas   https://franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10120/Draft-Town-Council-Community-Engagement-Ideas

6. Adjourn

The agenda doc also contains remote participation info

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07152026-2412

Note: This is a meeting of the Franklin Town Council Subcommittee; under the Open Meeting Law, this subcommittee is a separate "public body" from the Town Council. Therefore, unless the Town Council has separately notified and posted its own meeting, Councilors who are not members of this subcommittee will not be permitted to speak or otherwise actively participate @ this meeting, although they may attend and observe. This prohibition is necessary to avoid the potential for an Open Meeting Law Violation.

Communications Subcommittee listened & talked almost 4 hours on Thursday (audio)

FM #1749 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1749 in the series. 

This session shares the Town Council Communications Subcommittee Meeting. The meeting was held in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Building on Thursday, May 28, 2026.

 

Subcommittee Chair Caroline Griffith, members Jane Callaway-Tripp, Max Morrongiello, and Gene Grella also participated. Town Administrator Jamie Hellen, Operations Manager Julie McCann and Director of Communications & Community Engagement Liz Kalaijian participated.

The recording runs about 3 hours & 50 minutes, so let’s listen in.

Audio link - https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1749-town-council-communications-subcmte-mtg-05-28-26/

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Franklin TV video for replay - https://www.youtube.com/live/bUhHdEn119Q?&t=66 

Meeting agenda and supporting docs - https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05282026-2333  

Meeting recap - https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/05/communications-subcommittee-listened.html 

My notes in one PDF - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JmRSQOP0pbuQiaCVeMG5-Xla6eT8s_wz/view?usp=drive_link  

-------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

• And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach. We’ll share and show you what and how we do what we do

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news 

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Communications Subcommittee listened & talked almost 4 hours on Thursday (video)

The Town Council Communications Subcommittee met for almost four hours on Thursday, May 28, 2026. All four members were present in Council Chambers.

Franklin TV video for replay - https://www.youtube.com/live/bUhHdEn119Q?&t=66

Meeting agenda and supporting docs - https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05282026-2333 

Quick recap:

• Many departments presented on what they do to send out information, what newsletters, social tools, etc.
• Town Administrator Jamie Hellen outlined a brief history of the communications role previously held and now currently held by Liz Kalaijian
• 2 members of the School Committee Community Relations Subcommittee were present, one in person, one remote and participated in discussion on collaboration around joint meetings (as needed) and office hours (agreeing to different times and places)
• Discussion around the work plan and attempt to prioritize the items led to a repeated round of conversation about the process of Councilors replying to resident's emails. Draft of the tentative process to be reviewed and agreed to by subcommittee before bringing to the full Council at a future date
• Review of the job description of the Communications Director, which in may cases was already covered in the prior discussion

My notes in one PDF - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JmRSQOP0pbuQiaCVeMG5-Xla6eT8s_wz/view?usp=drive_link

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Thursday, May 28, 2026 ???

Thursday, May 28

• Curbside trash/recycling pickup schedule delayed one day due to holiday; what was Wednesday will be picked up Thursday

2:00pm Middle School Reunion (Franklin Middle School)

4:30pm School of Fish updated (Franklin Sculpture Park)

6:00pm The Little Shop | Food & Wine Tasting (Little Shop of Olive Oils)

For additional details on Library events ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/942/Calendar-of-Events

For additional details on Senior Center events ->   

https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9195/May-2026-Newsletter?bidId=

***   Town Meetings today   ***

Communications Subcommittee Meeting

Thursday, May 28 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05282026-2333 

ZBA Meeting- NO Meeting

Thursday, May 28 Time: 7:30 PM

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Find the full Community event calendar  https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx
The School district calendar is found  https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendar

Town Council's Communication Subcmte meets for the first time Monday, April 27 (audio)

This session shares the Town Council Communications Subcommittee Meeting. The meeting was held in the 3rd floor training room at the Municipal Building on Monday, April 27, 2026.

Subcommittee Chair Caroline Griffith, members Jane Callaway-Tripp, Max Morrongiello, and Gene Grella (remote) also participated. Operations Manager Julie McCann and Director of Communications & Community Engagement Liz Kalaijian participated.

The recording runs about 1 hour & 20 minutes, so let’s listen in.

Audio link - https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1740-town-council-communications-subcmte-mtg-04-27-26/

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Franklin TV video = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouZWNXNKTd8 

Meeting agenda - https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04272026-2270  

My set of notes from the meeting in one PDF - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JiB0YpZXFHfWRnnMBQM7u26r8qx6cOiJ/view?usp=drive_link

-------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

• And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach. We’ll share and show you what and how we do what we do

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news 

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Town Council's Communication Subcmte meets for the first time Monday, April 27 (video)

The Town Council's Communication Subcmte met for the first time on Monday, April 27, 2026 as scheduled at noon. All four members participated, 3 in the 3rd floor training room, 1 remote (Grella).

Chair Caroline Griffith opened the session. She opened for comments from the committee members on what their ideas were. Councilor Max Morrongiello, then Councilor Jane Callaway-Tripp and Councilor Gene Grella shared their ideas before Chair Griffith completed the round.

Liz Kalaijian, Director of Communications & Community Engagement as well as Julie McCann, Operations Manager participated.

Franklin TV video = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouZWNXNKTd8

Meeting agenda - https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04272026-2270 

My set of notes from the meeting in one PDF - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JiB0YpZXFHfWRnnMBQM7u26r8qx6cOiJ/view?usp=drive_link

Town Council Communications Subcmte Meeting - Monday, April 27 at noon

Town Council Communications Subcmte
Meeting - Monday, April 27 at noon

Upcoming Communications Subcommittee Meeting Next Week

Monday, April 27, 2026 = 12:00 PM

Franklin Municipal Building, 3rd Floor Training Room

View the agenda: https://buff.ly/xMpUB3V

Residents are welcome to attend in person, or participate remotely:

• Watch live on Franklin Town Hall TV YouTube - https://bit.ly/FTV-TownHall
• Join via Zoom: https://buff.ly/xR6uw8E

School Committee Community Relations Subcommittee meeting audio for March 16, 2026 session (audio)

FM #1691 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1691 in the series. 

This session shares the Franklin, MA School Committee Community Relations Subcommittee meeting held on Monday, March 16, 2026. 

The meeting agenda had placed the session in the 3rd floor conf room so I was there. Subcommittee Chair Al Charles, member Nadia Mausolf and Operations Director Colin Boisvert were remote. Member Stephen Karunakaran was caught in another meeting and didn’t make it. Future meetings are intended to be virtual unless otherwise noted. 

The agenda topics:

● Website Usage Metrics

● Quarterly Community Engagement Update

● Senior Center Visit / Monthly Q&A Session

● Strawberry Stroll Planning

● Newsletter Planning

The recording runs about 44 minutes, so let’s listen to the Community Relations Subcommittee meeting of March 16, 2026.

Audio link - https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1691-schcmte-community-relations-subcmte-mtg-03-16-26/

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School Committee Subcommittee assignments

https://www.franklinps.net/o/fpsd/page/subcommittees-and-liaisons 

Subcommittee agenda

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03162026-2181 

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

 

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

• And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach out. We’ll share and show you what and how we do what we do

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

 

For additional information, please visit www.franklin.news or  Franklinmatters.org/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"