Business View Civil and Municipal | May 2021

17 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MAY 2021 Jonathan Sweet, Chief County Administrator, Pulaski County, Virginia: “We are in a relationship business and we deal with citizens of every generation and age group and preference. So, I think it’s going to be forever a combination of face-to-face and virtual communication. Simply because we have folks who enjoy the technology and the convenience to interact using technology. And then we have the people who want to look you in the eye; they want to go back to shaking your hand and being across the table from you. In serving ALL our citizens, we want to be responsive to what they want. So, when everyone’s vaccinated and there’s less fear, and a better understanding, and greater social safety practices, I see going back to face- to-face with some folks and continuing on digitally and electronically with everyone else.” Sally McMullen, Planning Manager, Perth County, Ontario: “We’ve been able to meet people’s needs by communicating through the phone and virtual platforms during the pandemic. But we are planning for a fairly significant public consultation for our new Official Plan, so we’re spending a good chunk of the summer developing some interactive online tools that will help us reach more people. My plan is to engage with the community network (libraries, etc.) that was used to spread important health information, and rely on that now to spread Power Question Once the majority of the population gets vaccinated, will your community or company return to face-to- face business as usual?