NEW TALK OF THE TOWN CITY MANAGER REPLACES MUSIC INTERLUDE FOR CALLERS ON HOLD.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - About the last person you expect to hear when you're whiling away the time waiting for someone at City Hall is the guy in charge.

Santa Clarita City Manager Ken Pulskamp has begun to vocally ``hold'' your attention with information about city events such as Concerts in the Parks, upcoming grand openings, employment opportunities and a reference to the city's Web page (www.santa-clarita.com).

Gone is the country-western music played when callers on are hold, replaced by the man who really speaks for the city.

``It was actually my idea,'' Pulskamp said Thursday. ``It's really so that people know what's going on with their government. We are always looking for innovative ways to let people know. We use TV, radio, papers, the Web site. Now we're using that thing when people are on hold.

``We will be updating the information every couple of months,'' he continued. ``People might get tired of hearing the same thing over and over. Hopefully, they aren't sitting on hold for a long time.''

Pulskamp also sends out a monthly e-mail to those who have signed up to receive it.

And city callers can feel confident that they're in the hands of a professional. Pulskamp recorded the happy talk in just one take.