Blogging takes politics to the Web
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Town officials have taken to the Web as a way to voice their opinions and to seek the opinion of their constituents as they sign up and create blogs.

Ashburnham Selectman Jonathan Dennehy and Westminster Advisory Board member Brian Ruland have each created personal blogs that focus on local politics.

Dennehy started his blog, "Life in the one party state of Massachusetts," at http://dennehyblog. blogspot.com, in April but the messages started flying over the course of the last two months as the politics in town have heated up.

"There are so many issue out there in the local scene that I wanted to comment on," he said. "I wanted to create a place to put out the information that I have."

Dennehy has taken on national, state and local issues on his blog.

Ruland, on the other hand, started Westminster Watch, at http://westwatch.blogspot.com, this month and has, to this point, stuck with local issues.

"I just wanted there to be a quick and easy forum for the discussion," he said. "I have opinions and I like to say my piece."

The blogs started by (top) Ashburnham resident Jonathan Dennehyn and (bottom) Westminster resident Brian Ruland have added a new dimension to the local political debates. COURTESY OF THE WEB SITES

Ruland said he wants to keep the blog separate from his position as a town official.

"I did it on my own but it's not at all connected to anyone else or to the Advisory Board or any other board in town," he said.

He tries to keep the posts factual and without political opinions and then posts his personal opinions in the comment section.

"I think there has to be a lot of integrity to what I post," he said.

Ruland has created blogs for work and for personal use before creating one for town discussion. He said it is better than e-mail for some projects at work because it allows everyone to see all of the answers and to sort discussions by topic.

Dennehy, on the other hand, is new to creating a discussion site on the Web but isn't new to using them. He has visited and talked on sites with subjects ranging from politics (like his own) to more entertainment items such as the Red Sox and music.

"It's fun to see what others opinions are," he said.

He said he saw a gap in the world of blogs in regards to the other issues in the area.

"There's not a lot of discussion out there about North County type issues," he said.

Ruland said he thinks the blogs add another level of discussion for town issues beyond the coffee shops, sports fields and other community locations.

"I think it's additional to that," he said. "I think people will still use word of mouth.

think our society is creating new ways to get more people involved."

Dennehy says he won't write anything on the blog that he isn't willing to attach his name to in public.

"I'm out there. My name is prominent," Dennehy said. "Whatever I write there I have to expect the world could see."

He encourage a use of decorum, but says there is more freedom to speak out on the Web than at a public meeting because on the Web he is speaking as himself and for himself instead of as a selectman. He said after typing something he has reconsidered posting it.

"You always have to click that preview button before the post button," he said.

Dennehy set up his blog so that people can respond to his post anonymously, which he says has good points and negative ones. One of the positive points is that it gives the chance for people who are nervous to speak out, but said sometimes people are more willing to cross a line of propriety if there name isn't attached.

"I reserve the right to delete the comments that cross the line," he said.

Some of the comments on his blog have called out specific public officials both on specific issues and some more personally. But Dennehy hasn't deleted any of these because he says public officials are responsible to the electorate.

"You have to be in touch with the emotions of the electorate," he said.

He said the blog lets people express those emotions without having to attend the public meetings.

Dennehy said the political official to draw the most criticism is him and he hasn't deleted any of that so he hasn't felt the need to delete the messages regarding anyone else.

Ruland has also allowed anonymous postings.

"So far I have been lucky and it seems like the postings have been sincere," he said. "I think it's important

that we get to see all the other perspectives. I want them to contribute."

The lack of attribution has allowed people to post more freely for both the positive and the negative, he said. However, Ruland said it is important to go beyond what any blog posting is and do some individual research before forming an opinion.