Recently I’ve been interested in our local government, specifically how it operates and the people involved. The decisions at the state and federal level get more attention, but the real work happens closer to home.

Not only are those decisions impactful, they’re also the ones where you can have the most impact. The meetings where those decisions are made are open to the public, and if you show up your voice can carry a lot of weight.

The challenge is that information on these meetings can be difficult to track down. My state’s open meeting laws ensure that agendas and schedules are available, but the information is disorganized and the documents difficult to navigate.

As a software enginer, this is an area where I can help, and so I’m introducing Meetinghouse. Any time an agenda or minutes are published for one of Haverhill’s local meetings, it will show up on an easy to read calendar. Following the link will provide information on how to attend and break down the information available so it’s easy to find relevant details.

My hope is to create something that makes the process easier for everyone involved. Please check it out, and if you have feedback feel free to email me, I’d love to hear from you.