Bridget Saxton came into government communications through an unexpected door: nearly eight years as a 911 dispatcher. That instinct for triage, prioritization, and communicating clearly under pressure turned out to be exactly what she needed when she became Communications Director for the City of Melissa, Texas — one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.

When Bridget arrived in 2023, the department was brand new and the city had made six Facebook posts the entire previous year. Today, Melissa's page has nearly 15,000 followers and a highly engaged — self-described "feral" — audience. In this episode, she talks about what rapid growth actually feels like from inside the comms office, how she brought the community conversation onto the city's own platforms, and why transparency isn't always pretty but is always worth it.

In this episode:

• How nearly eight years as a 911 dispatcher shaped Bridget's approach to government communications
• What 64% population growth in three years actually feels like from inside the comms office
• Managing two very different audiences — longtime residents and brand-new ones — on the same platforms
• How Melissa grew its Facebook following from 5,400 to nearly 15,000 by leaning into transparency and two-way conversation
• Why one-way posting is a dead end, and what intentional content planning looks like instead
• What Bridget would build first if she could start the role over: strategy, crisis planning, and workflows before anything else
• Helping residents understand what their council can and can't actually control — and why that matters

Resources & Links

• CivAll
• Social News Desk
• Bridget Saxton on LinkedIn
• City of Melissa on Facebook
• City of Melissa on Instagram

Modern Gov Matters is presented by CivAll, powered by Social News Desk.