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Connie Watson

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By Beth Wade Friday, 17 April 2009

Connie Watson, Williamson County Public Affairs Manager

Education: Bachelor’s degree from University of Denver in 1987 and master’s degree from Arizona State University in 1995
Hometown: Springfield, Ill.
Worked in Williamson County: 4.5 years
Contact: 943-1663, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

What is the primary purpose of your role as the county’s public affairs manager?: My primary purpose is to give residents information about county government, the different actions the Commissioners Court takes and the different events and offerings that we have. I work for the Commissioners Court and departments that fall under the court. I can also assist other elected officials. Usually for other elected officials I would put out announcements if their offices were closing for some reason, if they are changing to allow more online services or other newsworthy items like that. So, I help them with news releases and put them out for them.
Why is your role important to the citizens of Williamson County?: I think it is important that they do have information about what their tax dollars are paying for and what events are coming up that they should be aware of. Particularly with the road bond program and all the road improvements that the county is doing, people need to know information about when new roads are opened or when a road might be closed for road work. There are a lot of ways that they are affected by county government. I also work to help students find out more about county government. We do a number of tours for students throughout the year, and I will arrange for elected officials to speak to different groups. Even adults like to learn more about county government. The various leadership groups [from cities] throughout the county will work with me and put together a county leadership day.
What are the county’s key issues that you need to communicate to citizens?: Right now a lot of it has to do with the road bond program and new roads. People are always very interested in roads, specifically, open houses or opportunities to make comments, and about any of the decisions that are done in Commissioners Court. The one that I particularly enjoy getting to help with is parks because that is something people really enjoy. We put out a parks brochure for the parks department, and it is a great asset because people need to know about the wonderful county parks that we have.
What is the most challenging aspect of your job?: Sometimes it can just be juggling the variety of things there are to do. There are several announcements that may need to go out for a variety of different departments and just making sure that we get that done, as well as responding to phone calls, e-mails and answering reporters’ questions for a variety of articles that they may be working on.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?: I enjoy all aspects of my job, but it might be when we get to do a park opening. We just had a trail opening on March 7. Those are great events because you get to see kids and other people who live here. You get to see their reaction when they first get to use a new facility. I enjoy being a part of those special events in the county. When we did the rededication of the courthouse, that was a really special event, and I enjoyed getting to be a part of that. Celebrations are always fun.
How can citizens get up-to-date and accurate information?: The website is a good way to do it. We do try to post releases about events coming up on the website. And we do keep up with the media so people can hear about different events through papers and television.

We also put out a monthly e-newsletter. People can go to the website, click on Departments and the Public Information Office. There is a form online that they can fill out, and then receive the newsletter once a month with updates as to what is going on in the upcoming month. We do road openings and information on new parks and trails, as well as publish the information for the museum and events coming up at The Williamson Museum. It is a good way to find out things to do, as well as information about what has been happening in the Commissioners Court.