“…If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions…”
 
– Federalist 51
 
James Madison and Alexander Hamilton in the Federalist 51 argued that finding the balance between government control and allowing it to control itself is one of the greatest difficulties. Therefore, they argued, there exists a necessity for certain protections.
 
 As a Long Beach City Councilmember, Gerrie Schipske recognizes she has a certain amount of control over her district and the entire City implementing the will of her constituents. She also understands that her control must be balanced by proactively creating certain restraints on herself.
 
Common controls, or auxiliary precautions, such as impeachment or recalling elected officials, are reactionary in protecting the will of the people. Schipske’s auxiliary precaution is a proactive solution to preventing her constituents from distrusting her and the City government she leads. She finds this protection by dedicating a “My Week” section in her online “Schipske District 5 Journal” outlining her entire meeting schedule. She lists her meetings and provides a detailed briefing on their outcomes.
 
Most cringe at Schipske’s commitment to transparency disagreeing with the extent in which she details some of her meetings and explanations of her votes. What is wrong with an elected official making public the details of the public’s work? My point is this: I have access to understanding who influences her and why she makes her decisions. More importantly, that information is accessible to me and you 24/7.
 
My first post focused on US Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana) and his commitment to transparency in government. He posts, similar to Schipske, his entire schedule online. I wrote: I have many conversations with elected officials about transparency in government…including how far they are willing to go to be transparent themselves. I often ask elected officials why not make their schedule more accessible to the public? Most cringe at the idea. Senator Tester does not. He places his entire schedule, personal and professional, on his web site.
 
For better or for worse, Gerrie Schipske is elected to do the work of the people. This responsibility gives her a tremendous amount of control in our local government. We deserve to know who influences her and for what reasons and she is the only one telling us.
 
Remember, if men and women were angels, no government would be necessary in the first place.
 
Keep charging, Gerrie.