HomeMy WebLinkAboutApproved Minutes - 2025-06-05
SPECIAL MEETING
LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD
SUMMARY NOTES
JUNE 5, 2025
The video recording constitutes an accurate record of the Library Advisory Board Special Meeting. The
following summary is provided as an overview of the meeting.
Link to WebEx recording
https://apps.lakeoswego.city/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=2991187&repo=CityOfLakeOswego&cr=1
CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOME
Library Director Melissa Kelly called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
Guest Presenter: Noah, Siegel, MSH Strategy
Library Advisory Board
Present: Patrick Walsh, Lilisa Hall, Pat Walls, Joy Fabos, Mark Pontarelli, Liberty Planck, Seth Pauley,
Enid Rittman
Friends of the Lake Oswego Public Library
Present: Andrew Edwards, Nell Diamond, Donna Needham, Kent Watson, Janet Buck
Staff:
Present: Melissa Kelly, Library Director; Donna Harlan, Administrative Assistant
Guests:
Noah Siegel, MSH Strategy
Madison Thesing, Deputy City Manager
PRESENTATION BY NOAH SIEGEL:
The Structure of a Campaign
3 steps: Science, Story, Strategy
o Science:
What is the path to getting the 50 + 1 to win a campaign?
This step involves polling, public opinion and research.
We need to be rigorous and ask the tough questions to understand the value
people are willing to pay for.
Need to find the positive and negative messages that resonate with them.
Depending on the sample size, the data can be broken down into categories
which provides an understanding of where people are based on where they are
coming from.
From here you can build a profile for what a winning path looks like and reach
out to people using a variety of methods (direct mail, digital marketing, social
media, for example).
o Story:
Framing is important. “We have a problem, we (stakeholders) have thought of a
solution to solve our (collective) problem”, rather than “I have a problem and
want someone to fix it”.
Facts support our story, but what sticks with people is what resonates with their
values.
Creating a message house is an important key:
Top – A single message that resonates with the greatest number of
people.
Middle – supporting pillars, the three things to make a case using core
arguments.
Base – consists of supporting facts.
Form focus groups to refine the story and view their reactions to statistically get
a sense of the core values.
o Strategy:
Collect information and statistics that already exist.
Capital stack
Political Capital – consists of good leadership.
Financial Capital – costs money, who has a vested interest and where
does the money come from? Inventory your assets.
Community Capital – the less community mobilization you have the
more funds you have to spend. Inventory your community and groups
that would care about this to build a broader coalition.
From here we create messages.
What are our 10 core stories to share.
Use the space we currently have to tell our stories.
The human piece of the campaign comes from community.
Community Capital is a way to build trust and support that this
project/campaign is a good thing.
The Legal and Technical Side of the Campaign
o Who owns the campaign?
501c can do ballot measure lobbying/campaigning up to 20% of their
budget.
Create a Political Action Committee for a library campaign that can be
opened at anytime and fundraising can begin right away.
FOLLOW UP WITH MADISON THESING:
o No City staff time or resources can be used for a campaign.
o The City’s is only able to share public, neutral, impartial and apolitical information. It is
against ethics to do otherwise and is and not the government’s role to persuade.
o The City does the polling and information gathering through the task forces and
visioning.
o Once a bond is referred, the City Communications Team works on developing messages
which define the ask of the voters while following the strict processes the city has to
follow.
o We can speak as individuals, and make it clear that we are expressing ourselves as an
individual only and not wearing a city hat.
o Further clarification on what is ok to say when wearing the hat as a city board member
will come from the city attorney and more information will be shared when the time
comes.
o Working with other boards on an idea would be supported.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:19 pm
The next scheduled meeting for Library Advisory Board will be Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at 7:00 pm.
Prepared by Donna Harlan, Administrative Assistant