March 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 51

ly will) lead to tension. Where does
that leave you? With significantly less
support from city hall at best - potentially out of a job at worst. Publicly, remain apolitical! Do not place
the yard sign, do not wear the T-shirt,
avoid watercooler talk and do not
engage in any political activity on
social media. However, you can still
be an advocate for issues that affect
parks and recreation without damaging yourself. What if a tax increase
will mean extra dollars dedicated to
park improvements? Then, there's
nothing wrong with being for that increase. Just keep in mind the context
in which you are speaking or acting.
Be Very Careful on Social Media
It is very easy to put yourself in a
potentially career-damaging situation on social media. All it takes is a
retweet on Twitter, a Facebook share
or even " liking " something on Facebook (which shows up in your friend's
timeline). A common mentality is
that our social media is our personal
space where we can share our personal thoughts on our personal time. " I
will share what I want and it's not my

media.

list any personal information. On
the separate account, you can share
and retweet away (within all legal
context, obviously #lawyerjargon).
Use the ease of social media to your
advantage without harming yourself
personally or professionally. Finally,
and most importantly, as a government employee, you are held to a
higher standard than many others.
Your employer may even have social
media policies that govern the manner in which you are able to address
government-related issues online.
Fully understanding the reality of
your professional work environment
and any legal restrictions that may be
placed on you is critical to navigating
social media during an election cycle.

fault if others get offended! " Sound
familiar? If that isn't you, it is certainly someone you know. If that is
your initial reaction, then maybe you
should consider creating multiple accounts - one for yourself and visible
to anyone, and another that doesn't

Recuse to Diffuse
If a casual conversation suddenly
turns into a political debate, politely
recuse yourself so that you can diffuse the situation before it escalates.
There's nothing wrong with simply
stating that you'd prefer to avoid that

It is very easy to put
yourself in a potentially
career-damaging
situation on social

type of discussion and remain neutral. Are your friends not buying it?
Just act like you're getting an important call and abruptly step away - I've
personally found that method particularly effective. Be aware, be smart and
understand that, as a government employee, there are simply some things
you cannot do. Remember - " recuse
to diffuse " if you find yourself in a political conversation.
*Special thanks to Deidre Flores McCarty (Kyle, TX), Christian Moore (Weimar, TX), Tom O'Rourke (Charleston,
SC), Tiffany Johnson (Washington, DC),
Candi Rawlins (Franklin, TN), Mark
Alan Young (Louisville, KY), Roslyn
Johnson (Columbia, MD), Cindi Baker
Wight (Rutland, VT), and Brian Sanders (Aiden, SC) for their comments on the
above-referenced Facebook thread.
Gerry Logan, Jr., CPRE, is the Special Events
Supervisor for the city of College Station,
Texas, Parks and Recreation Department
(glogan@cstx.gov).

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March 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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