Welcome to Blogging, RT!

I'm pleased to have been joined by a new Minneapolis blogger: Mayor RT Rybak. Check out his new blog here. It looks great.



I've heard from his staff that the SecondWard blog was an inspiration to jump in the blogging waters, and I'm happy to have been able to blaze this particular trail. Though there are some potential pitfalls - and we've found them - I strongly believe that blogging is a good tool for elected officials. We can get into more depth on this blog than in any other public communication (newsletters, for example), delving into the complexity that each issue demands. I think the public is well-served to know not just what issues are before us, and not just how we vote on them, but why. What's the background information, what principles motivate us, what arguments do we find most persuasive? Blogging lets elected officials address these questions much better than any other medium I've found. I think the city would be better off if more policymakers blogged, and I'm happy the Mayor has started.



Lastly, I take some satisfaction from seeing the blogging resolution that I pushed through the Council in May of 2006 get some use. This was one of the first policy successes I had on the Council, and it's good to see that it will benefit more blogs than this one.