County’s Communications Office Wins National Awards

CREST HAVEN — Cape May County’s Communications Office, usually in the background and behind the camera, switched places Tue., Aug. 24.
Lenora Boninfante, communications director, Mark Huff and Rosemary Gannone, staffers, stood with freeholders and proudly held national awards for their work.
Boninfante told freeholders the awards were from the National Association of Counties for implementing “innovative county government programs to better serve area residents.”
The Communications Office received a 2010 NaCo Achievement Award for its public information initiative.
The national body of counties “recognized the efforts we are making in Cape May County to keep our residents informed of services and programs available to them through county government.”
To put the award in perspective, there are 3,141 counties in the nation. Of them, 107 counties were recognized for achievement this year. Cape May County was the Garden State’s only county to receive an achievement award.
Boninfante said the last decade was spent “creating a department that communicates for all entities of county government including the more than 40 departments and commissions that make up county government.
“To the residents of Cape May County, we are all one county government,” she said.
She reflected over the decade, noting she began in January 2001. Technology changed what the department does, she said.
At that time, news releases were routinely sent via fax, emailing was still somewhat in its infancy, and “Reporters did most of the writing, photos were taken and had to be developed, and then either mailed or delivered to newspapers,” Boninfante said.
She recalled buying the county’s first digital camera. Then came the responsibility of overseeing the county’s website from another department.
Then, there was the organizing and preparation of the county’s official directory as well as organizing and preparing all conferences and special evens.
Included in the mix of promotions were the County Library and Park and Zoo.
The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack “not only changed the world but brought more responsibility for county government to be able to communicate, especially in emergencies to its residents,” Boninfante said.
She cited the office’s role in keeping the public informed during northeasters and during outbreaks of flu and through winter blizzards.
Boninfante cited vehicles used to convey the county’s messages: conference, special events, monthly television program, radio interviews, informational brochures and the website, e-mail subscription program and electronic newsletter.
The county government was the state’s first to have a Facebook page, she said.
Boninfante has been president of the state’s Public Information officials.
She said that post has allowed her to observe “how much more we do and provide as a county with far less people and money,”
In addition to the National Achievement Award from NaCo, the county Office of Communications also received three awards of excellence from the National Association of County Information Officers.
One was Best in Class Photography Category for showing the “lighter side of government with the collection of photos of residents at the zoo and special events.
The 2010 Excellence Award for the 2009 county calendar, which was produced in house.
The 2010 Excellent Award for the first edition of the Cape May County Government electronic newsletter.
Boninfante said those awards show “That little Cape Ma y County, a county of 96,000 residents can compete in both the traditional modes of communication and also remain in the forefront of innovative communicating even compared to much larger counties.”