Blogging her way to the Council Chambers

There's a new blog in town. The female author of the blog writes about the power of Santa Clarita's PTA groups, says the Town Center mall ought to expand because she has an "aversion to leaving the Santa Clarita Valley" and shares the frustrations of Santa Clarita residents who are upset about traffic. She comments on the hot topic of annexing portions of Castaic, and encourages her readers to program a Sheriff's department number on their cell phones to report bad teenaged drivers. No one would blame you for thinking "Oh great, yet another Santa Clarita blog," something the community is seeing a lot more of these days. But a counter on the website shows this blog is different. It says 307 days remain before election day. And on the right column is a string of endorsements from local business and community leaders.

No this blog is not like others. It is, to the best of my knowledge, the first blog run by a candidate for a seat on the Santa Clarita City Council. The blog belongs to Laurie Ender, mom, parks commissioner, and veteran TV producer, and she wants you to get to know her through her blog/official campaign site at www.ElectEnder.com. Politicians discovered the power of communicating to voters over the internet when Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean launched the history making and innovative "Dean Space" websites during the 2004 Presidential Election. With his website, Dean offered downloadable campaign posters for supporters to post in their communities, raised funds online, gauged the feelings and beliefs of both his supporters and detractors, and, perhaps most importantly, bypassed the media and directly communicated with voters. Three years and a world of technology later, politicians are taking Dean's innovation a step further and even creating videos on YouTube. The internet has become a vital tool for politicians to get their message to voters and win elections. Though the Santa Clarita City Council election is just under a year away, Ender has taken note of the national trend, and decided to go digital for her campaign. She spoke with SCVTalk about her decision to create a campaign blog, rather than just a generic website. "I wanted to create a website where people in our community could get connected—to each other, to my campaign and to what’s happening in the SCV. Not everyone reads the local papers or attends the City Council meetings but I think it’s vital that we all know what’s happening around town," Ender told SCVTalk. The 43 year old mother of three was one of the original producers of "Access Hollywood" and was a candidate for the council seat vacated by Assemblyman Cameron Smyth last fall. She was one of the final five candidates the council was considering appointing to the vacant seat, when compromise candidate TimBen Boydston was selected based on his promise not to run again in 2008. Ender says blogging has become an important medium for news and information, even in a city like Santa Clarita. "Blogging has changed everything when it comes to news and public affairs. We used to have to wait for the morning paper to find out what was going on…now reporters and anyone with access to a blog can post up-to-the-minute news and opinions," she says. From a campaign standpoint, Ender notes that blogging "enables voters to have a connection to a candidate and to have their voice heard." Comments are allowed on Ender's blog, allowing voters to engage in discussions with the candidate directly. "Now we can have more immediate access to those officials and tell them what we want, what we think is best. We are so fortunate to have a vote. Now, and thanks to the Internet, we also have a voice," she said. Communicating with voters in Santa Clarita over the internet or via emailed newsletters is not new. But the communication was typically one-way. For instance, some candidates for the city council race in 2006 had campaign websites which outlined their positions on various issues, showed endorsements, and educated voters. Ender's site, in contrast, has all those traditional elements but has her blog posts -which Ender writes herself- at the center of the website. Ender has written dozens of posts since she started the blog in mid May. Such openness in a campaign for an elected office is not without risk. Dave Bossert, elected president of the quasi-governmental West Ranch Town Council, was harshly criticized this year for making disparaging comments about crime in Canyon Country on his blog. On the national scene, bloggers working for Senator John Edwards of North Carolina made headlines and distracted his campaign for weeks after making insensitive comments about Catholics. Ender says she's not concerned about being quoted out of context by opponents or having her blog used against her. "Running for office in and of itself opens you up to criticism. Having a blog may be risky in that sense but I think the good -giving voters a chance to get to know me- outweighs the bad," Ender said. In the months leading up to next spring's election, Ender will user her blog to coordinate campaign events, post her thoughts on issues in Santa Clarita, and hopes to inspire non-voters to get involved and vote. "Voter turnout in Santa Clarita is historically abysmal," she said. With the blog, she hopes "that I can reach out to voters and inspire them to get involved." Retired Sheriff Bob Speier, Planning Commissioner Diane Trautman, and Newhall water board member Maria Gutzeit have also announced they are running for city council. Two seats are up for election; the one to be vacated by TimBen Boydston and incumbet Mayor Pro Tem Bob Kellar's seat. Kellar plans to run in 2008.