Reading Eagle, 10/6/20- Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan wins Democracy Award for transparency and accountability
By Karen Shuey
U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan has made history.
The Chester County Democrat, who represents Reading and many southwestern communities in Berks County, became the first freshman lawmaker to win a Democracy Award from the Congressional Management Foundation for her office's efforts to improve government transparency and to foster innovations on Capitol Hill.
The nonpartisan group, which has been around since 1977, announced Tuesday that Houlahan had won for her outstanding accomplishments in transparency and accountability, a category recognizing offices that go above and beyond to provide clear and relevant information on their work and publicly acknowledge metrics for that performance.
Specifically, Houlahan is being singled out for her transparency, accountability and innovation.
"As a Democracy Award winner, Rep. Houlahan's office is clearly one of the best in Congress," Bradford Fitch, president and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation, said in a press release. "This designation demonstrates that Rep. Houlahan has made a significant commitment to being the best public servant for her constituents in Pennsylvania."
Fitch said Houlahan and her staff are to be applauded for not only being a model for her colleagues in Congress, but for helping to restore trust and faith that our democratic institutions can work.
Houlahan said that soon after she was sworn into office her team met to talk about its objectives, its values and its goals. And on that list of goals was building an office that answers directly to the people in her community.
“During this time in our nation's history, transparency is more important than ever — Pennsylvanians deserve public servants who rise above politics and place service to community as their number one priority," she said in the release. "I am grateful for this recognition and even more grateful for the honor and privilege to serve the people of Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District."
In assessing her office, the foundation identified that Houlahan conducts town halls at least once a month, that constituents with unanswered questions receive a callback from the office, the congresswoman regularly hosts informal gatherings in the district, she records a video at the end of most weeks in D.C. recapping significant votes and other work, and the office surveys constituents quarterly to assess its performance toward meeting office goals and sends out online newsletters to constituents which include upcoming events, legislative highlights, recent constituent meetings, constituent successes and articles Houlahan recommends.
And, they pointed out, Houlahan made it a priority to have a presence in Reading. They noted that her district office in the heavily Latino city ensures the website has a Spanish language page, that materials are printed in Spanish and that Spanish speakers are located in every district office.