August 23, 2021
Lee Evancho
The city of Jacksonville has been discussing a formal public information officer (PIO) position to be shared by the Jacksonville City Board of Education and the city itself for quite some time. After accepting applications and conducting interviews the decision was made and Ben Nunnally has been voted in as the new PIO!
The Calhoun County Journal spoke to Ben about his new appointment, which was voted on at the August, 23, 2021 city council meeting. When asked what prompted him to move from journalism in the private sector to an official city job, he stated that as a journalist you cover news, but don’t really get to affect change. He wanted to be a part of something he believed in and was excited about. He loves the city of Jacksonville and believes in the direction they are heading and projects they are working on. He is excited to be a part of that. His goal is to be a single voice that is credible and reliable. He wants the residents of Jacksonville to know that he will share facts. He also wants to stop a lot of the fights he sees that get started on social media. He wants to be able to state this is what is really happening and why. He will also be able to explain the best course of action to communicate with the city.
Mr. Nunnally is no stranger to communications. His background is in communications and journalism. Ben graduated from JSU with a degree in print journalism. That degree is more commonly known as a communication major now. He has been a paid journalist since 2013 starting with freelance articles and working at the Gadsden Times.
Ben will officially start in approximately two weeks. His office will be housed at City Hall. The Board of Education (BOE) does not formally vote on the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the city until Thursday. The Calhoun County Journal spoke to the BOE member, Marita Watson. While she could not speculate on how the BOE’s vote would go she did say the board has addressed this need for a public information officer many times. The position is listed in their strategic plan as well. She would be excited if the BOE chose to vote for this position to be filled. She thinks it is vital for information about the school to go out from an accurate and responsible source. She also noted that there are many important things happening with the school and she looks forward to this information being given to the public.
The city officials are also very excited about the new position and what it can mean for Jacksonville. City Councilman Coty Galloway stated he was “Looking forward to working with Ben.” Councilman Terry Wilson said he is, “Excited about to see what Ben brings to the table.” He went on to say that he felt having one person being involved with both the city and the school system will help communication greatly. Councilman Wilson was present for the interviews and also said that Ben’s presentation was “Great and very sincere .” Councilman Andy Green stated “As the 2020 US Census results have demonstrated, Jacksonville is growing in population and as evidenced by a drive through our city, opportunities for many abound here. Before my campaign for office I noted the need for Jacksonville to find ways to maintain a public information program across the myriad media channels. Upon election and taking office, this position remained a top priority of mine and I am excited that Jacksonville has filled this newly created position to serve as our expert for public information and communication. Tonight we the City Council approved the employment of Ben Nunnally as Public Information Officer. Ben brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the realm of communication to the City of Jacksonville’s already robust workforce. Having attended recent meetings to provide local news coverage for them, Ben is familiar with many of the topics we have been discussing and I look forward to having Ben work with the Mayor’s Office, the City Council, and City departments to synthesize our communication with the public.”
The Calhoun County Journal looks forward to working with Ben Nunnally in his position as Jacksonville’s Public Information Officer.
Editors Note: Marita Watson is no longer Vice-President. She is now a board member. A change was made to correct her title. The current Vice-President is Jeff Gossett.
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