City Caucus blog ceases after 3 1/2 years
Co-founders Daniel Fontaine and Mike Klassen agree to retire City Caucus blog
Vancouver, BC (July 3, 2012) – After 1,304 days as a go-to source of political news and commentary for British Columbians, the City Caucus blog (also knows as CityCaucus.com) will no longer be updated. A labour of love started by two fans of politics and public policy – Daniel Fontaine and Mike Klassen – it was decided that the considerable personal time and effort running the City Caucus website could no longer be justified.
Over the July long weekend the City Caucus blog surpassed five million page views. It was agreed by Fontaine and Klassen that they should end the blog on a high note.
Daniel and Mike will continue to comment on politics and news of the day at other venues. The CityCaucus Twitter account and Facebook fan page will remain active for news links and other updates.
I can appreciate why those boys might want relief from the insatiable demands of a blog (Feed me!) – but their voices are going to be missed. They produced an extraordinary ‘document’ for the times, one that I hope will remain accessible for future readers and historians. While I didn’t agree with it (or the tone) sometimes, it captured a way of looking at the city, its politicians and culture that added a dimension that would otherwise be missed.
And with their guides to the Olympics and other events in the city, they did a real public service. In fact, they should consider a “Best of …” – not just of the most popular items but those that will be increasingly meaningful in the future.
Congratulations to Daniel and Mike as blogging pioneers – and for the audience they reached and the debate they engendered.
I agree with everything you said there, Gordon. Contrary and even contrarian views and voices are most important in a functioning democracy. I think the blogosphere are other social media are becoming the “forum” of today’s political world, if they aren’t already. For it to operate well, there has to be informed and in-depth analysis and commentary, which City Caucus did extremely well, from its particular vantage point. I wonder where NPA-types will get their opinion pieces in the future?
Best of luck, Daniel and Mike.