There seems to be a bit of a hung jury when it comes to whether or not Councillors should tweet updates during council meetings.
On one side are those who feel that Councillors communicating with their residents, whether it is during a council meeting or not, is fine. They feel Councillors shouldn’t be held back from letting people know what is going on during the meetings.
On the other side, there are those who feel that tweeting during council meetings is a distraction and keeps the Councillor from paying the kind of attention that is required.
This is a conversation that is happening all around the world. In fact, Council members in the UK found themselves in the midst of controversy when they were caught tweeting during a council meeting that was discussing Councillors allowances. Of course, elsewhere in the UK, the tweets of Councillors were winning praises.
With such a divide, what’s a Councillor to do? I put the question to local Councillors and the Mayor. The responses I got varied, with some choosing not to respond. I also received feedback from the twitter community. I have edited the responses for brevity when necessary.
Hmmm. Tough to answer in 140 characters or less. I don’t have a major issue with it if they’re paying attention, and not leaking info. – Brian Botterill – Ward 3 (@bb4ward3)
… a Tweet…it is a distraction and not appropriate behaviour when you are actively engaged in making decisions on behalf of your constituents. – Roxanne Carr, Ward 2 – @councillorcarr
Yes to tweets during breaks. It is a welcome change in focus during a long day-like a conversation instead of a performance. – Jacquie Fenske – Ward 5 (@jacquiefenske)
No we shouldn’t be. Only during breaks/recess. – Jason Gariepy, Ward 8 (@Jasongariepy)
Elected officials need to concentrate on the matters at hand during that meeting – no matter how boring or contentious. That means reducing distractions as much as reasonable… I don’t think politicians should tweet (or post facebook updates, blog entries, etc) during those meetings. Go ahead and tweet during breaks. – Ian McCormack (@Ian_mccor)
I like council meeting tweeting. I prefer tweeting to be done by third party, not someone paid by gov’t. – Mike Engbers (@mengbers)
Not sure the #yegcc (Edmonton City Council) folks have time to tweet and do council… but if they do, why not? – Gary (@commonsensesoc)
No. They need to focus on their job and not have tweeting as a distraction. After or before is fine. – Brittney Timperley (@BTimps)
YES! – Katy Plesuk (@KatyPlesuk)
So what advice would I give a councillor if I had one as a client? I would suggest that if they want to tweet to make sure they only tweet during breaks and make it very clear that they are not in an active council meeting. Although they might innocently tweet during a break, if their audience doesn’t realize that is what is going on, it won’t matter. Those who want to know their councillor is paying attention will assume they aren’t. Unfortunately, perception is reality in the political arena. This compromise allows the councillor to use social media to stay in contact with residents, provide useful, timely information and engage while still giving all their attention to the business at hand.
