Mayor Otis S. Johnson Officially Launches Multimedia Blog to
Connect With Constituents Online

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Mayor Otis S. Johnson officially launched a multimedia blog earlier today which will offer regular updates about his re-election campaign and will share his vision for Savannah. Mayor Johnson is the first local candidate to use a blog as part of a re-election campaign strategy.

The innovative blog, entitled http://otisjohnsonblog.com/, links directly to the home page of www.otisformayor.com and features regularly updated content that allows visitors to track the final days of Mayor Johnson’s campaign.

“We live in a high-tech world, so it only makes sense to use high-tech tools to connect with my constituency,” said Mayor Otis S. Johnson. “The Internet serves as an ideal way to communicate directly with the citizens of Savannah, instead of having to rely exclusively on traditional print and broadcast media. This is just one more way to push the technology envelope and use twenty-first century tools to share my vision for Savannah’s future.”

Over the last several years, blogging has evolved from a quirky means of personal expression to an essential communications tool. The Mayor’s new blog features audio and video clips, as well as first-person reflections on Savannah, providing a deeper, more personal insight into his position on a variety of issues.

“A blog is a very powerful tool,” said Burton Sauls, chief creative officer and COO of CityTrex, the local content development firm that created the online blog. “Otis is definitely on-the-ball with regard to cutting-edge technology. We’re happy to help get his message out to the people using exciting new media tools.”

According to Sauls, using this new media platform bypasses traditional broadcast media and directly communicates with potential voters, who can post comments directly to the blog or forward the message to their network of friends in order to expand the circle of reach.

Otis S. Johnson was elected Mayor of the City of Savannah in 2003. Before serving as the mayor of Savannah, he represented District 2 on the City Council from 1983 until 1988. In 1998, Johnson won a seat on the Savannah Chatham County Board of Education. That same year, he was named dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Savannah State University, where he had established an undergraduate program in social work. Johnson excelled as the founding executive director of the Chatham-Savannah Youth Futures Authority, a non-profit organization devoted to helping children in need, for more than a decade..

A Savannah native, Johnson graduated from A.E. Beach High School and later served in the Naval Reserves for six years. In 1963, he became the first African-American to attend Armstrong Atlantic State University. Four years later, he was the first black Savannahian to earn an undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia.

Johnson went on to receive a master’s degree in Social Work from Clark Atlanta University. In 1980, he earned a Ph.D. in Social Policy and Management from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass.

The Mayor has been proud to have the opportunity to serve Savannah for the past four years and hopes to continue the initiatives that have made him a successful public servant during his tenure as the city’s leading elected official.

“I’m committed to continuing to work as partner with those who are committed to a safe, healthy, and thriving community for all citizens,” said Mayor Johnson. “I’m proud to represent Savannah and to work to sustain our regional economic growth. I hope that Savannah’s citizens will re-elect me to a second term and to enable me to continue to be a force for positive change in our community.”