By HOLLY GASKILL
Wells County hired its first-ever public information officer in 2023, and one year later, LeAnne Wyss shared how the job’s responsibilities have adapted and developed.
Wyss, formerly Gibbs, began in the position in February 2023. At the time, the position was loosely defined as one interceding in the county’s communication with the public, particularly through the county’s website and social media presence. Commissioner Mike Vanover had championed the position, which was approved by the County Council in 2022, and renewed in 2023.
As she began the position in 2023, Wyss explained that a large portion of taking the position off the ground would be observing the communication and using creativity to develop an appropriate system to address these needs. One year later, she referred to this process as a “trial and error.” There are changing seasonal needs within the county government, many of which she encountered on the fly in her first year.
“I think I’m still kind of in that learning and adapting, and some of that is, we try something and evaluate, and go back to the drawing board of somethings,” Wyss explained. “It’s a lot of experimenting with whatever that ‘secret sauce’ is.”
For example, Wyss said Wells County Commissioners had been asked to explain their decision not to join Health First Indiana. She then worked with the commissioners to create a press release with their combined and individual statements on the matter.
Not only did Wyss find this important to understanding the large decision, but it also gave a quick introduction to coordinating between commissioners, who are limited in their communication due to the Open Door Law. The release ultimately included individual statements from each of the commissioners, as well as combined statements about HFI.
“It was a more lengthy process because we knew we wanted to get it right the first time and we wanted to get an explanation, but we also knew that the county had a lot of attention to it (with the decision),” Wyss said.
Wyss explained that the bulk of the year has been developing how certain systems should work within the county’s communication. This has involved a certain level of research and development, as she learns how certain departments work, where Wells County looks for information, and more.
On a day-to-day, Wyss said she manages some of the posts on the county’s Facebook page, specifically those regarding special announcements from the county, stays up-to-date on local news, and responds to queries from the public.
Wyss maintains 10 hours weekly in the position, which she said has been limiting in some ways but still permits her to accomplish what needs completed. In an August update to the Wells County Council, roughly 33% of her work was spent on various social media tasks, 9% tuning into the live stream of public meetings, 5% on various meetings, and 5% on keeping up-to-date on local news, among other items.
“From Facebook posts that have reached tens of thousands and provided education to Wells County residents, to drafting joint statements and providing insight and guidance to elected officials, LeAnne has proven the importance of the PIO position in Wells County with limited resources to do so,” Vanover stated.
As she entered her second full year, Wyss met with several officials to plan adjustments for the upcoming year. She also planned to complete an analysis of the previous year’s accomplishments, where growth is needed, and “craft a more uniform strategy” to address these needs.
“The hard part is a lot of things with government is we’re all really impatient to get something accomplished and to prove something effective or ineffective,” Wyss said. “And I think this is the unique situation where it’s really responsive to what is happening in government, so sometimes it’s really busy and there’s a lot going on, and other times it’s really slow and there’s a dry spell.”
Vanover added, “As a County Commissioner, I can see the potential of this position as an asset to the work we do as elected officials across county-wide government. I know there are other elected officials in the courthouse and on Council who can see the same. This is a great foundation on which to build some consensus with other office holders to utilize this new position to benefit Wells County residents.”
Wyss can be reached at pio@wellscounty.org.
holly@news-banner.com
