Voters, what's on your mind? #localpolitics ** State Rep.

Mike Schlossberg
spearheads Twitter town hall as traditional methods of reaching constituents
decline in participation

Morning Call - Allentown, Pa.
Author: Opilo, Emily
Date: Sep 8, 2013
Start Page: A.1
State Rep. Mike Schlossberg settles into a chair behind a desktop computer, mouse in one hand, brownie in the
other.
It's time to face the masses.
"OK, we're ready to begin #AskSchloss!" he types, minding the length of his entry to keep it under 140 characters.
"We'll take questions via Twitter, FB and Email. Will answer many!"
Schlossberg's Twitter feed slides downward as new tweets appear, questions rolling in.
This is the new town hall meeting.
For decades, the traditional town hall has been a favorite tool of politicians -- a chance to make themselves look
available to the citizenry while getting a feel for the issues constituents care about most. The spirited face-to-face
conversation is democracy in action, a Capra-esque symbol of public participation.
But for years, that participation has been steadily declining.
Whatever the reason -- long work days or frequent trips to youth soccer practices -- people have found it harder to
make time for traditional town hall meetings. Participation at municipal meetings of all kinds has been going down for
decades, and even senior citizens, the most reliable bloc among voters, have begun to lose interest. At a town hall
meeting hosted by Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, this year at a senior high-rise, only 20 of the building's 300 residents made
the trek downstairs to attend.
That decline has led some public officials to think outside the box about how to communicate with the electorate. The
Twitter town hall, a concept that Schlossberg debuted in April and plans to repeat at 7 p.m. Monday, saves
constituents the trip to see him. Instead it brings the civic interaction to their computers, smartphones or tablets.
"You have to go where people are," Schlossberg said.
The freshman lawmaker and Allentown City Council alumnus is the first member of the state House to try the Twitter
town hall format.
Gone are the folding chairs and portable lecterns. During Twitter town halls, participants submit questions to
Schlossberg via email, Facebook and Twitter, and he answers them one by one with tweets, visible to anyone who
follows him on the social network. Questions and responses are marked with the hashtag #AskSchloss to signify they
are related to the forum and to make them easily searchable.
Schlossberg's first Twitter town hall in April -- which he advertised on Facebook, Twitter and in email blasts -- drew at
least as many participants as that meeting at the high-rise. And that doesn't include people who were watching but
not participating. Questions touched on gun restrictions, voting by mail and Marcellus Shale.
"Why cant PA enact a natural gas severance tax?" one person tweeted. "Even Texas and Alaska do it and the public
reaps the benefits."
"Lack of Shale tax is appalling," Schlossberg tweeted back. "36 states have it; we don't. Lose $300m a year and
communities suffer."
If as many people participate in the encore Twitter town hall, Schlossberg plans to hold one every six months.
Hiding in fear?
It wasn't that long ago that town halls were better attended, and even the center of controversy. In 2009, U.S. Sen.
Arlen Specter found himself in the middle of a national debate after a constituent angry about health care reform
shouted him down at a town hall meeting. Similar protesters stormed town hall meetings across the country that year,
dominating the dialogue with volume and causing some lawmakers to shy away from the traditional forum.
Without face-to-face communication, Twitter town halls could be perceived as a further withdrawal by lawmakers,
said Chris Borick, a professor and pollster at Muhlenberg College. But used in combination with more traditional
communication, the Twitter town hall has enormous potential, he said.
"Like any forum, it's how you use it," Borick said. "Some interactions with people online can be very productive and
very valuable. It can be used as a means to duck and to improve relationships and communication. ... I think it's
clearly a sign of the times."
Twitter gives lawmakers access to a younger voting bloc, opens lines of communications that some people are much
more comfortable with and gives interested voters multiple means to get in touch with a legislator, Borick said.
But it's not the be-all, end-all of communication with constituents, Borick warned.
Less tech-savvy senior citizens are far less likely to have a Twitter account, let alone participate in a Twitter town hall.
That's why Schlossberg has no plans to give up on his schedule of traditional town hall events.
"This is a supplement," he said. "Nothing will truly replace door-knocking or phone-calling or town halls, but as turnout
at those traditional mediums decrease, it puts the onus on us to reach out in different ways."
Politicians on Twitter and other forms of social media are hardly a new phenomenon.
President Barack Obama had big success with social media during his 2008 campaign and has transitioned that
strategy into his presidency. The first #AskObama town hall was held in July 2011 and garnered 70,000 tweets with
questions on jobs, the economy and the legalization of marijuana.
Many local politicians have established a social media presence, particularly on Facebook. But there's a difference
between being present on social media and using it to its full potential. Some officials make the mistake of using
Twitter exclusively for press releases, rather than interacting with constituents. Others put their accounts in the hands
of interns, who can't replicate the lawmaker's voice, Schlossberg said.
"I think a lot of people don't understand Twitter," he said. "They don't understand its reach and how powerful it can
be."
Twitter faux pas
Some hesitation among members of the state House to try the online format could be tied to the well-publicized
Twitter flubs of other public officials. Anthony Weiner needed only one photo sent via Twitter to cut short his decade-
long stint in Congress. And locally, missteps on Twitter have led to calls for the censure of an East Penn School
Board member, a public apology from Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan and termination of a Lehigh Valley Economic
Development Corp. social media specialist.
Those are just a few of the cautionary tales for lawmakers, said G. Terry Madonna, a professor at Franklin Marshall
College in Lancaster. That shouldn't deter other public officials from being active on social media, but it should make
them very cautious, he said.
"You've got to be very careful," he said. "Once you put something on Facebook or Twitter, you can't take it down."
Schlossberg tells people not to blame the medium. Constituents like seeing grace under pressure, in person or
online, he said.
"People who are stupid with social media are the ones who lack judgment in real life," Schlossberg said.
State officials aren't the only ones increasing their social media presence. Locally, the Bethlehem Police Department
has an active Twitter account that regularly interacts with residents and officials. In Easton, the city's planning
department tweets regularly.
A handful of council people, commissioners and school directors from across the Valley also have a presence.
Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski is among the most prolific users of social media. Every day Pawlowski compiles
relevant news links and discussion topics, which he posts to multiple Facebook pages, a Twitter account and
LinkedIn page. While he has yet to host a Twitter town hall, Pawlowski said he recently pitched the idea to his staff.
Many public officials are under the impression that they need an IT staff to manage their social media, Pawlowski
said. That's not true. Pawlowski spends 20 to 30 minutes each day gathering relevant content and responds to
questions as they are asked. No one else handles his accounts, he said.
"It doesn't need to take up a lot of time, and you don't need a lot of financial resources," Pawlowski said.
The mayor said he reaches 6,000 people a day with his efforts, more than a town hall meeting ever could.
But officials must also be cautious not to let social media take the place of real human interaction, Borick said. Twitter
town halls and other online forums should always complement other more traditional events, not replace them, he
said.
"I would hate to think electronic means of communication are the only means by which elected officials would meet
with constituents," Borick said. "There remains an important place for face-to-face contact. You get different things
out of different methods."
eopilo@mcall.com
610-820-6522
Twitter: @emilyopilo
Credit: By Emily Opilo Of The Morning Call