Governor Deval Patrick (I still like saying that) has announced that he’s going to begin recording weekly podcasts that will be distributed on mass.gov. From the release:
“During my campaign, many people from across the state who had checked out of politics and government checked back in. We have a responsibility to keep those people engaged, and one of the ways we do that is by communicating directly with them,” Governor Patrick said…. The first address will air Friday, January 26 on www.mass.gov. In it, Governor Patrick will discuss his experiences during his first few weeks in office, early initiatives such as the Commonwealth Corps, and the tough choices the state faces as he and his team craft their first budget. He will touch on rejoining the New England Governors’ Conference and signing onto the Regional Greenhouse Gases Initiative. He will also discuss the administration’s efforts to reach out to cities and towns and to build partnerships with legislators, the business community, and the people who call Massachusetts home.
New podcasts will be added regularly, and will be one of many tools the Governor uses to interact directly with the public.
Also, Patrick told the press after the announcement that he is hoping to start a blog where readers can talk directly to him, and is looking into videocasts as well.
“We don’t know yet how to do this … but the point I’m trying to get across is that I’m open to any of a range of technological solutions to enable people to convey their ideas directly to me and to convey mine more directly to them,” he said.
Very cool. Here’s hoping that, in addition to the Governor starting a blog, the agency heads do the same — on many issues, the agencies are where the rubber meets the road.
Kudos, again, to Senator Barrios, who appears to have started a trend!
It’s great to see the Governor and the administration embrace new technologies to engage citizens! On a related note, we here at Social Capital Inc. partnered with the Governor around the Youth Inaugural to launch a new site to foster exchange among youth interested in making a difference. There was great exchange between youth at the Jan. 4 event and the Governor; we hope this site will be a place for ongoing dialogue. The url is: http://youth.socialc…