City Hires Petroni To Be Framingham Public Information Officer

In full transparency, the following is a media release from the City of Framingham.

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FRAMINGHAM – City of Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky has hired veteran journalist and Framingham SOURCE editor Susan Scully Petroni to be the City’s new Public Information Officer.

“Communicating with residents what the City and my administration is accomplishing is a top priority, and I can’t think of a better person to accomplish that goal than Susan,” said Mayor Sisitsky.

“Susan will be the City’s spokesperson, in charge of communications for all municipal departments except for Framingham Police,” said the Framingham Mayor.
Petroni has been reporting on Framingham for the last 13 years.

In 2010, she launched the Framingham Patch digital news site for AOL. In 2016, after being laid off twice by Patch, she launched the Framingham SOURCE digital media outlet. She has been covering Framingham from City Hall, to sports, to community events, to the schools, and everything in between.

“Having launched two successful news outlets within the last 13 years, I know I can create a multi-prong communications plan for the City of Framingham,” said Petroni, who has lived in Framingham since 2000. “My goal is to not only provide residents with the basic facts of issues and events, but also the ‘why’ they need to know the information.”

“I am thrilled to have Susan join the administration. The community knows her abilities in the field of journalism. She comes to this position having already established relationships with City departments and the community,” said Mayor Sisitsky.

Petroni is an award-winning journalist, having worked at weekly newspapers, daily newspapers, regional and national magazines. She has won state, regional, and national awards.

“I plan to use my experience as a journalist, to develop and implement a comprehensive communications network in the City of Framingham, including a weekly newsletter,” said Petroni. “While I no longer will be a journalist, I see my role as the chief storyteller for the City of Framingham, highlighting the stories of the people who live, work, and play in the community.”

SOURCE, as Petroni announced earlier this month, is moving from a journalistic media outlet to a community bulletin board. Petroni is turning the day-to-day operations of SOURCE over to a webmaster this weekend.

She will be responsible for communications for all municipal departments, except the Police. She will be writing and distributing media releases, developing and producing a City newsletter, overseeing the City’s social media, and interacting with print, radio, TV, and other communication mediums.

Petroni also will collaborate closely with the Director of Community and Economic Development on website content and design and other communication initiatives to enhance business relationships. The PIO is also responsible for overseeing the development and completion of professional communication materials including the annual reports, professional brochures, and progressive communication materials for the administration.

Petroni will start on Monday, May 1.