Blogging rises at Capitol

By Brock Vergakis
Associated Press
Published: Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006 12:10 a.m. MST
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Sen. Lyle Hillyard doesn't have a computer in his office and rarely uses the Internet beyond e-mailing his children. Yet Hillyard, 66, has become one of the Legislature's most frequent bloggers, posting thoughts on tax policy — some with audio — and even a few essays on the seasons and his beloved garden.

He's among a small group of bloggers changing how lawmakers communicate with the public.

"I think what I really want to create is an image out there that we're human beings. Although we have some awesome responsibilities, we each bring with it our own personal background and life experiences," said Hillyard, R-Logan.

Senate Republicans created a Web log last fall, www.senatesite.com, that members could contribute to. Most didn't.

But steadily, Hillyard's posts became more frequent. Others soon joined in.

The blog provided lawmakers with an unfettered way to communicate to the public — and their political opposition — the reasoning behind their decisions. Sometimes it included supporting documentation in PDF form. Other times the blog simply announced there was ice cream available in the Senate freezer.

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Regardless, by the time the 2006 legislative session was over, the Senate Site became a must read for lawmakers, lobbyists and journalists.

The site now gets up to 4,000 hits a day.

"The blog's nice because it's a nonpretentious way to share information. It's not self-important. It's not like dragging a podium out to a marble hallway," said Ric Cantrell, who manages the Senate Site blog and has given presentations to leaders in other states on effective blogging.

But ultimately, the Web log's goal isn't to inform political insiders what's happening at the Capitol, he said.

"A citizen in Vernal, Utah, can hear his or her representative in their own voice — in their own words. That's unprecedented," Cantrell said. "Nowhere in the history of civilization have citizens been able to read a document along with an elected official minutes after a meeting is over and then weigh in with their comments."

Feedback from the public is expected. But sometimes blog posts result in retaliatory blogs from House members.

Last week, the Senate issued a statement on its blog stating its objection to removing the state sales tax on food.

Two days later, Rep. Craig Frank, R-Pleasant Grove, responded on his own blog, www.underthedome.org.

"I told you the posturing 'games' have already begun and just in time for the Holidays!" wrote Frank, who likened the Senate statement to a strategic sword fight.

It was a rare public airing of differences between members of the same party and illustrates how blogs are transforming legislative debates.

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