Transparency has been the mantra of the Walsh administration and this week Boston Mayor Marty Walsh will bolster that notion by hosting a Reddit AMA on Thursday, April 24, at 2:30 p.m. Mayor Walsh has already participated in a number of digital tęte-ŕ-tętes, engaging directly with those who frequent social media platforms.

For those who are unfamiliar, Reddit AMA stands for “ask me anything” and allows a user to make his or herself available to the online community. A number of local stars have participated, like Academy Award winning actor Matt Damon and New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman. But Reddit AMAs have also given voice to the likes of President Barack Obama and other elected officials, as well as people who work in peculiar jobs or industries.

 

With just over 100 days in office under his belt, Mayor Walsh has already hosted two Twitter chats as well as one of the Facebook variety, where Bostonians and others have peppered him with questions ranging from municipal policy ideas to his favorite foods.

It’s important that Mayor Walsh continue to wield social media because such networks give voice not only to the millennials who flock to them, but a slew of other age groups or demographics that typically don’t interact with local lawmakers. Not a particularly tech-savvy individual by self-admission, Mayor Walsh has taken to social media quite well especially when we consider his life trajectory. Growing up in blue collar Dorchester and having risen through the labor union ranks, Mayor Walsh didn’t really have a need for Twitter, Facebook or Reddit. In fact, his first Tweet didn’t echo through the Internet until last October when he was in the thick of the mayoral race.

 

BostInno has been told directly from the Walsh administration’s press personnel that the mayor now Tweets his own 140-character bits and responds on his own to those who reach out to him directly. You can tell in his first Tweet on October 23 that someone was manning the keyboard for him.

The Reddit AMA will take place on Thursday, April 24 at 2:30 p.m. Be sure to check back with BostInno for information on how to follow along and for our afterwards.

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