In any community, communication is the key to ensure residents are informed. That is where the Newton County Public Information Office (PIO) comes in.

Led by public information officer Bryan Fazio, the PIO is responsible for administering information for all county affairs.

“We insist in transparency,” Fazio said. “So we make sure we get the word out of what we’re doing here in Newton County out to the many channels that people utilize to receive information.”

Oftentimes, the PIO are the ones behind the scenes who drive forward the content people see on a daily basis, including the Newton County website, news releases, the Notify Newton app and various social media platforms. 

They also appear at a number of events throughout the community, including board meetings, civic club meetings and other county-related occassions.

One new avenue that the PIO has recently started is the “Do You Know Newton?” podcast. 

The podcast covers topics that are being addressed across Newton County as well as featuring interviews from department heads and elected officials. 

In the first few episodes, guests on the show have included director of the Board of Elections and Registration Angela White-Davis, county manager Harold Cooper and chairman Marcello Banes.

The PIO was launched back in late 2016, with Fazio taking on the role of public information officer in 2017. 

Fazio took the role after over a decade of working in the newspaper industry, including right here in Covington. 

He said that when the opportunity came up for him to be the public information officer that he was intrigued by the idea of focusing on the local county government alone.

In doing so, he sought to change his role from reporter to spokesperson.

“It was the thought of taking that community involvement one step further instead of just covering local government, just kinda being that representative of it,” Fazio said.

Recently, the PIO has expanded to two people in the department with Addison Barron joining the office in July. 

Barron is the audio/visual content manager with an emphasis on enhancing the department’s video production. 

Fazio specifically highlighted Barron’s direct influence in the livestreaming of the Board of Commissioners meetings, with Barron heading up the charge to enhance that coverage.

Keeping in line with the idea of clarity, the office is continuing to look at ways to maximize governmental transparency.

On the county website, items such as past and previous budgets, bid postings, financial documents and budgets/minutes are readily accessible for all to view.

“It’s important for people to know what’s being done with their taxpayer’s funds,” Fazio said. 

But it’s not just the governmental affairs that the office wants to focus on, it’s also the people who make up the backbone of Newton County.

“I personally think it’s important to see the faces who are paving their roads and serving as sheriff’s deputies and officers, people who are working to keep the water clean,” Fazio said. “There’s a lot that goes on besides the people who vote two Tuesdays a month.”