By Gina Cuclis

Gatekeeper refers to one of the traditional media's functions. As gatekeepers, journalists are government watchdogs making sure our leaders are honest and held accountable. Before the Internet, local traditional media had the control over city leaders' abilities to efficiently communicate with large numbers of constituents. The news media's gatekeeper role meant they decided what the public needed to know and what information from city hall was worth sharing. They controlled the flow of information.

Web 2.0 Has Changed the Game

The digital age has made it easy and inexpensive for local elected officials to communicate directly with their constituents. It used to be if the mayor gave a speech, she depended on the local newspaper to cover her speech and interpret it correctly. Today, the mayor can upload the text of her speech to the city's web site within minutes of delivery. If her speech was video recorded — as a PR pro I would recommend this — the video could be uploaded to YouTube for constituents to watch at their leisure.

Why City Council Members Should Blog

The title of this post answers the question. A blog provides the opportunity for a council member — or any local elected official — to explain his or her position directly to their constituents at little cost. The main expense is time. Granted, council members have to be careful in what they say prior to a council action. They run into trouble if they prejudice themselves prior to voting in public. In California, local elected officials must be mindful of the Brown Act.

However, a blog provides a medium for a council member to inform constituents about issues coming up on the agenda, and receive input from those disinclined to attend meetings. For example, a council member could provide the facts about the city's pending tree ordinance and ask constituents to comment. After the council member votes on the ordinance, he could follow up with a blog post explaining why he voted the way he did.

Examples of council members extensively blogging are Douglas Athas in Garland, Texas, Sam Hall in Pensacola, Florida, Heidi Rodeback in American Folk, Utah and Sally Clark of Seattle.

The only member of Sonoma's City Council who blogs is Aug Sebastiani, whose last post was in May. I commend him for getting started. I hope we'll see more city council members in Sonoma County eventually following suit.