Suasion Gets Haddonfield Communications Contract

The Haddonfield Board of Commissioners have chosen the Suasion Communications Group to write the borough newsletter, Municipal Matters, and for other communications services. The decision was made in a work session last week.

Suasion already performs similar services for the Partnership for Haddonfield, the borough business improvement district. The firm, led by Susan Adelizzi-Schmidt, is paid $2,400 each month by PFH. The company will make significantly less from the borough, which only has about $7,500 for a year of communications services in its budget. The firm will be paid a set rate for each service it performs.

Suasion beat out a bid from David Hunter and the Gumnut Group, publisher of What's On Haddonfield and What's on Collingswood, bi-monthly newspapers mailed free in each town. Hunter had held the communications contract for nearly two decades before losing it last year to Elauwit Media, publisher of the Haddonfield Sun, a free, weekly borough newspaper. 

Hunter had earned $20,000 or more some years for writing Municipal Matters, publishing it in his paper, and for other services, including news releases and other communications projects. Elauwit won the communications contract last year by bidding about a third of what Hunter had been paid. Elauwit said it donated the proceeds from its yearlong contract to charity. The total was about $3,000. 

Mayor Tish Colombi had been willing to consider hiring Hunter again this year, even though his rates for some services were about four times higher than Suasion. She and fellow commissioner Ed Borden argued that Elauwit was a "colossal failure" and that communications were much better under Hunter. 

But Jeff Kasko, the borough's third commissioner, said he "strenuously" objected to hiring Hunter again. Kasko said he thought the borough could utilize its website as a main source of disseminating information and write updates in-house. 

All three agreed to try Suasion at least through October, then evaluate what happens next.