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Salem County Watch Dog:Taxpayers should be able to request this E-Newsletter, we should NOT have tax dollars used to pay marketing firms selling email addresses.
 
QUESTIONS --
Are the Taxpayers paying for County Government to Spam Email?

If you open or opt to receive a county email newsletter are your clicks being tracked and profiled by the county?

Is County government gathering political issue information at taxpayer expense?

AND what were the parameters of the constituency lists purchased, who's email was purchased? 
 

Research into the county check register shows a number of payments to a company Advocacy Inc.
 
A records request shows the county purchased email lists from Advocacy Inc. and the service to send email news.
 

03/21/2007            ADVOCACY, INC   CHARGES FOR HOSTING EMAIL LIST          57.34

03/22/2007            ADVOCACY, INC    EMAIL ADDRESSES                                          0.15

03/22/2007            ADVOCACY, INC    SETUP CONSTITUENT MAIL                          500.00

03/22/2007            ADVOCACY, INC     CHARGE TO SEND MESSAGES                      0.03

10/17/2007            ADVOCACY, INC.     FEES FOR HOSTING EMAIL LIST                  60.18

10/17/2007            ADVOCACY, INC.     HOST EMAIL LIST FOR JUNE 07                  58.53

10/17/2007            ADVOCACY, INC.      EMAIL HOST FOR JULY 2007                      58.24

12/19/2007            ADVOCACY, INC.       HOSTING EMAIL LIST AUGUST 07             65.93

12/19/2007            ADVOCACY, INC.       EMAIL HOSTING SEPTEMBER 2007          78.76

01/16/2008            ADVOCACY, INC.        EMAILS OF CONSTIUENTS                        327.60

 

 

Memo from the County of Salem

The company provides some of the email addresses. Others are self-subscribers through the website and other avenues. The amount of emails changes as people opt out. The email quantity for each mailing is indicated on the bills from advocacy inc under "Quantity."

We create the newsletter and then put it onto a template on their web-based mainframe and then we email through their server.

We do not have a contract.

**************************

Mr. Robin B. Weinstein, MTS, SPHR

Deputy County Administrator & Public Information Officer

 

Who is Advocacy Inc?

The company website shows they are a political and campaign marketing firm in Washington DC working with folks like moveon.org.

 
http://advocacyinc.com/about/company.html
Pioneering Web and Email Political Marketing Since 2002.
At Advocacy Inc we have a passion for politics. We inject that into every one of the campaigns we assist. Helping them achieve their goals and be heard.

In 2004, the American Association of Political Consultants presented Advocacy Inc. with its prestigious Pollie Award for Best Online Advertising Campaign for its "Bush in 30 Seconds" collaboration with Moveon.org.

 
What did the county purchase?
READ THE MEMO FROM SALEM COUNTY HERE: ADVOCACY INC OPRA RESPONSE
 
 
These are the records responses we have via OPRA from the county
 APRIL 2006 E-NEWS LETTER
MAY 2006 E-NEWS LETTER
JUNE 2006 E-NEWS LETTER
AUGUST 2006 E-NEWS LETTER
SEPTEMBER 2006 E-NEWS LETTER
 
In 2006 at the time of my original OPRA issue with the county I questioned the county about this E-news letter.  Specifically the link in the e-news letter that would send people to a partisan polictial site to register to vote. This link should have gone to the appropriate government agency, not a 3rd party site. In my OPRA request this memo surfaced regarding that issue.
 
OCTOBER 3, 2006 MEMO SALEM COUNTY REGISTER TO VOTE LINK
The E-NEWS LETTER returns in June 2007
JULY 2007 E-NEWSLETTER ADVOCACY INC BILL
JULY 2007 E-NEWSLETTER
 
AUGUST 2007 E-NEWSLETTER ADVOCACY INC BILL
AUGUST 2007 E-NEWSLETTER
 
AUGUST 2007 PURCHASE OF EMAILS FROM ADVOCACY INC
 
SEPTEMBER 2007 E-NEWSLETTER ADVOCACY INC BILL
SEPTEMBER 2007 E-NEWSLETTER
The E-NEWS LETTER returns in MARCH 2008
MARCH 2008 E-NEWSLETTER ADVOCACY INC BILL
MARCH 2008 E-NEWSLETTER (THIS HAS NOT BEEN SENT TO US BY THE COUNTY) = PER SALEM COUNTY, THIS IS NOT A BILL FOR MARCH ENEWS. THIS IS A BILL FOR APRIL DEPT OF AG ENEWS:
APRIL 2008 DEPT OF AG INVITE E-NEWS
 
 

salemcountywatchdog.com