Admittedly I am being a stickler in raising this point, but the following introductory sentence from an article in today’s Jackson Sun strikes me as a poorly written lede:

The sky’s now the limit for the city of Jackson. Officially.
During a meeting today, the City Council amended the zoning ordinance, raising the height limit for commercial buildings from 70 to 100 feet.

I know that the reporter is intending to be clever, but the sky really isn’t the limit (and certainly not officially). The limit is 100 feet, and it was previously 70 feet. Neither of those is the sky. OK, down from soapbox I descend.

Update from The Tennessean: Bellevue Center mall sale pending, councilman says

As reported in today’s Tennessean, representatives for the owner of Bellevue Center have essentially been cornered into a public forum scheduled for next Monday night, May 7:

[Bellevue Metro Council Member Charlie] Tygard said he and [fellow Bellevue Metro Council Member Eric] Crafton had been attempting to communicate with representatives of mall owner Oaktree Capital, based in California, off and on for about two years. “They never returned a phone call, and on the rare occasion that we would call and get a receptionist, that person would always refer us to Madison Marquette and David Allison, who never had any answers. It was the proverbial run-around,” said Tygard.

Crafton decided to draft an ordinance that would change the zoning of the 15 acres from commercial back to residential. “We had to take drastic action to get a viable response,” Tygard said. “We’ve been hearing for about three years that they were going to redevelop and revitalize the mall. These things we’ve been hearing are all dead ends. It would greatly decrease the value of the land if it were changed back to residential. The rezoning issue has triggered them to open up communication with us.”

Local attorney Michael Mizell, who represents mall owner Oaktree Capital, did his best to counter his client’s unresponsive behavior:

“We are going to try to give the public the best update we can on the project,” Mizell said. “There are a lot of different variables involved in a project such as this. It is a large-scale development. We are looking at the viability of the mall as a whole. We want the whole property to be as viable as possible … The owner is looking to redevelop the mall in a way that makes it successful not only for business, but also for the community. There are a number of things in the works, and many of them are still in negotiations …

“All of [the rumors about the mall] are untrue. The overall goal is to get the mall to a point of higher success than it is now,” he said. “The owner also wants to let these councilman (sic) and the community to know that if ever they have questions or input, the lines of communication will be open.” [emphasis added]

To be fair, the paper points out that Mizell has been working on Oaktree’s behalf for only a month, so it is Oaktree, not Mizell, that has some trust to regain, if that is even possible at this late date.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a primary message that you want to communicate, but talking points are not enough when you don’t have the track record to back them up. As author Stephen Covey once wrote, “You can’t talk your way out of something you behaved your way into.”

Noted crisis counselor Eric Dezenhall, who has made a career out of helping organizations and individuals emerge intact from emergencies they behaved themselves into, recently put it just as succinctly in an interview with the PR-industry media outlet Bulldog Reporter: “[T]he problem with most PR messaging is that it isn’t supported with behaviors driving the company. It’s just that—messaging.”

In my opinion, this situation and others like boil down to a single factor: What you do matters more than what you say. In other words, it’s time for Oaktree to walk those talking points and communicate–openly–with local residents.

[Full disclosure: My company has provided public relations assistance to Eric Dezenhall, which is how I came to know his work. I personally haven't done any work on his behalf, but I have come to respect his point of view on this subject.

Dezenhall's job in many instances is to help clients recover from mistakes and/or misdeeds, and I've gradually realized that one of the core implications of his crisis management strategy is this: Traditional methods for relating to the public through the spoken or written word are only effective when you back up your words with your actions. The public isn't looking for an explanation, as Dezenhall says. They are looking for sincerity and authenticity.]