As Information Manager for the Ohio Secretary of State, John Michael Spinelli served as a communications liaison for the entire agency but especially as the managing editor of The Spotlight, the classy, colorful intra-agency newsletter that provided unique articles on a variety of topics from the agency's 11 divisions. Spinelli also served as communications liaison with The Voting Rights Institute, a new research and policy development group with its own diverse Advisory Council and newsletter, The Illuminator, the quarterly voice of the group Spinelli wrote many articles for. Previously with the Mason Chamber, Spinelli renamed and redesigned that group's newsletter to accommodate the new growth. The Compass, became an information-packed monthly publication that reflected the new initiatives, several of which Spinelli helped launch that provide useful business information to the growing county's growing business infrastructure. When he returned to Columbus in 2000, Spinelli and is wife Kathy purchased a new condominium in a new residential development, Homestead at the Preserve. As one of the first residents in the community, Spinelli used is writing and photo skills to create a "little newsletter just for us" he dubbed The Homesteader. The monthly publication became an instant hit, affording everyone the news of the month and an opportunity to participate for anyone who wanted to do so. As a consultant for Kids Voting Columbus, Spinelli again created a communication piece the group had not had before but one that gave the group a new communication platform that both trumpeted their accomplishments and helped solicit new partners and new funding.
