Social Media

Emanuel's Office Expands Social Media Presence

The new profile allows the mayor's office to create long-form posts about new city projects and announcements

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office launched a Medium profile last month to connect with Chicagoans and release information about city projects and announcements.

Medium bills itself as “a community of readers and writers offering unique perspectives on ideas large and small.” The site, which was launched in 2012 by Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, allows users a platform to create long-form social media posts.

Emanuel penned the profile’s first post which deals with his Building on Burnham project to reinvigorate the city’s neighborhoods, lakefront and river banks.

“We will create recreational and economic opportunities for thousands of residents, draw visitors from downtown into other neighborhoods, and keep children in every neighborhood safe, engaged, and learning,” Emanuel wrote.

The profile also includes a piece written by Michael P. Kelly, General Superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District, that touches on the Burnham plan, as well as park accessibility for children, families and communities.

“Our goal is to see every park brimming with children, families and seniors; and every program filled to capacity,” Kelly wrote. “In order for that to happen, we must continue to take a thoughtful approach to the decisions and investments that we make in all communities.”

In addition to this, the mayor’s office has also added posts about the recent appointments of Interim Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and Executive Director of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications Alicia Tate-Nadeau.

Since launching last month, the Chicago Mayor’s Office’s Medium account has garnered 2,500 followers. 

Emanuel’s office is no stranger to social media. The mayor’s Facebook page has over 20,000 likes, while his Instagram account has over over 3,000 followers. 

Emanuel's @ChicagosMayor Twitter account currently has over 80,000 followers. Last week, the mayor announced an executive order banning travel to North Carolina as a response to the state's controversial "bathroom" law in a video posted to that account. The law, which requires people to use bathrooms that match their biological sex, is widely considered to be anti-LGBT. Emanuel's tweet has garnered over 90 likes and 70 retweets.

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