ORANGE – The first post on Carolyn Cavecche's Facebook page was from a friend welcoming the mayor of Orange to the 21st century.
Cavecche, who started her Facebook page about a week ago, has joined the groundswell of elected officials and municipalities throughout Orange County maintaining Facebok pages on the Web to reach constituents.
A screen shot of the Facebook page for Orange Mayor Carolyn Cavecche. Cavecche said she wanted to reach out to the community.
EUGENE W. FIELDS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
"The main reason I'm doing it is that Facebook is so huge," Cavecche said. "It's a great way to reach out to my constituency in Orange."
Cavecche, 49, does not fit into the typical demographic sector of Facebook users, which according to insidefacebook.com, is 18-34.
"I've been watching my kids do it for the past couple of years, and a friend helped me set it up," Cavecche said. "I look forward to getting on and writing."
Thus far, Cavecche has gained more than 220 Facebook "friends" and responded to every post or question from constituents, including answering questions about the "Three Strikes Law" and paycheck protection.
Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido also keeps a Facebook page, with a following of 195 people. Unlike his counterpart in Orange, Pulido has not been active on his page, posting just three times since December. Pulido's most recent post was on Jan. 13 advising residents about the upcoming U.S. Census.
Pulido did not return messages seeking comment.
Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle said he maintains a personal Facebook page with a rule: Followers must know the names of his wife and children to be added.
"I like it, because I can show my friends what I'm doing in my personal life and my role as mayor," Pringle said. "I don't do it to garner votes. I have it so my friends across the country can see what I'm doing."
Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang also maintains a private Facebook page. Kang says he uses a monthly newsletter to reach out to his constituents, but he isn't opposed to having a public Facebook page.
"I'm from the old-school, so it's going to take a little while to catch up," Kang said. "Facebook is a way to reach out to a younger audience. If you don't catch up with the trends, you're totally outdated."
In neighboring Villa Park, City Manager Lori Sassoon said none of the council members maintains a public Facebook page. But the 6,500-resident city maintains a general-information Facebook page that has more than 1,500 followers.
"We get a lot of calls generated from it," Sassoon said. "It's another tool in the toolbox to help us get the word out."
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