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Today, the White House honored 5th District Councilmember and mayoral candidate Gerrie Schipske as a “Champion of Change” for her work towards making Long Beach “more open, transparent and accountable.”

The Champions of Change program, a series of honors inaugurated by the Obama Administration, “spotlights ordinary citizens who are doing extraordinary things for their community, their country, and their fellow citizens.”

Schipske has long been an advocate of open government and currently runs an active website where she informs constituents of progress at City Hall. 

She was the first councilmember to post her calendar openly, and launched Open Up Long Beach, a series of events that further her effort to make local government more transparent.

“I am a passionate believer in the words of Thomas Jefferson that ‘information is the currency of democracy,'” Schipske told the Post, “and that is why I make such an effort to provide the information and access citizens need to be engaged.”

Informed by the White House last week that she had been selected, Schipske accepted the honor Tuesday morning at 10AM.

To read Schipske’s blog, visit gerrieschipske.blogspot.com