Public Officials do need to be public. Social media is a viable means of communication for public officials, as long as it is public in its use. An elected individual has the opportunity to have forthright communication with their constituents, in a public forum. However, there are constraints to social media as to the Brown Act, among other requirements as to public business discussions. In my perspective, an elected official who takes a public forum, such as FB, and creates a privacy page as a method to circumvent the Brown Act would be dishonest, unethical, and cowardly action. An elected official needs to keep all social media postings public.
George Fuller, MPA, MA
City Councilmember, City of Oakley, CA
