Blogs bring new faces to politics

As the autumn political season heats up this summer, Utahns can expect more of an online presence from local elected officials vying for their votes as many will — again — turn to blogging as an easy and cost-effective campaign strategy for rallying supporters.

But for some local leaders, staying linked to their constituents is a year-round objective — not just for ballot preseason.

To some representatives, a weekly city council meeting just isn't enough time to chitchat with the public.

Jim Perry is one of them. Perry has no problem voicing his opinion in a stuffy council chamber; he's as outspoken as the next. But the Cedar Hills councilman is clearly in his groove while chatting with constituents on his self-created city forum at www.aboutcedarhills.org.

When Perry originally launched the Internet site, the city hosted it on its official Web page. Eventually, nervous officials worried that readers might interpret opinions for policy, and they booted the site.

Although the no-frills site lost its official association in the move, it remains an authentic source for real-time — and real opinionated — dialogue for the affluent Utah County community, even offering a modest classified advertisement section.

Perry's site has essentially taken hot issues from council chambers directly to the community, so now even the city's shy, hermit-like and pajama-clad residents — who would have rarely, if ever, attended a council meeting — can type their views at length online.

"It's great for public input," Cedar Hills Councilman Ken Kirk said. "A lot of (council members) read the comments daily."

But perhaps what makes the site unique from the majority of online community forums is its high "official" response rate.

The council doesn't just read the comments; they respond.

"We comment and post our opinion all the time," Kirk said.

And the proof is in the posts.

Perry has entered 2,562 posts so far in his frank dialogue with constituents on issues ranging from trivial video games to controversial Supreme Court rulings.

When one obviously disgruntled resident recently posted a query on how tax money is spent, Perry responded in detail. He didn't dodge a single issue; he tackled each concern with a thoroughly numbered list.

Although more local officials are starting to blog in an effort to improve government transparency, it's still rare — especially among local leaders.

Many officials told the Deseret News they are reluctant to post thoughts and opinions online out of fear that those comments could be misinterpreted by residents.