Author | Lightnews

Chris Oates

Chris Oates

@chrisoates.bsky.social

330 followers 1.5K following 840 posts

Civic tech and making government accessible to policy professionals and #COYS

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Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · Nov 18

The starter packs are great, but I'm trying to combine a list of all #mapoli electeds on Bluesky and was hoping a good old fashioned crowdsourced Google sheet might be easier since so many are joining.

Please add anyone who the voters put into office here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

mapoli bluesky electeds

docs.google.com

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 3h

Would love to get people's opinions about a prototype we built to make @bostoncitycouncil.bsky.social transcripts (sponsored by @bostonpolicyinst.bsky.social) more accessible using a chatbot form factor.

Check it out and let me know how we should tweak it.

bos-city-council-chatbot.streamlit.app

Boston City Council Chatbot

This app was built in Streamlit! Check it out and visit https://streamlit.io for more awesome community apps. 🎈

bos-city-council-chatbot.streamlit.app

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 11h

It looks like that reel is no longer available so I got taken to a reel of a World War II pilot and was very confused how it related to modern politics

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 1d

I love Spurs’ set piece goals. I hate what it means for the future of the Premier League that we can spend 50 minutes with barely a peep from our striker and still be up 2-0

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 1d

I totally agree. I’d rather they interact with the users on LinkedIn since those seem saner (and I know one congressman who does)

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 1d

For me, politicians should be broadcasting on every platform. But Twitter had never been a representative look at the world, much less after 2022

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 1d

That’s great. How many units per year is it expected to build?

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 3d

In my brief time in standup, I was always amazed at the people that would come in and crush with a bunch of ad libbed riffs, only to see them at a different open mic night a week later doing the same ad libbed riffs

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 3d

Love to read a news story that will be part of a montage in the documentary about the bubble collapse

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 3d

"Land of Innit" 😆

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 3d

Using baseball as an analogy, what are the five skills needed to be a successful politician and can we learn anything about politics through that lens?

I think yes, and the skills are:

- Biography
- Communication
- Policy selection
- Fundraising
- Networking

But I'd love to hear disagreements

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 3d

This week in #mapoli, some speculation on a new way to analyze politicians, given we're starting to see some competitive races.

open.substack.com/pub/massachu...

What's a five tool politician?

Some thoughts inspired by the World Series and a Congressional seat

open.substack.com

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 3d

The headlines now are much more clearly three distinct stories. @bostonglobe.com can I take credit for sparking this change?

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 3d

You’re not sick with kids. You enter into a new world called “unlimited screen time”

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 3d

I would have thought that would have been part of a broader Inner Belt redevelopment but I guess it’s a little bit further out than that?

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 3d

Has anyone asked @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social the big question: T20, ODI, or test?

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 4d

Sign of the times in how our politics works. I learned that @teamtram.bsky.social is running for Congress via a fundraising text message. Really shows how that first-day haul is now a crucial part of whether a candidate is viable

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 4d

I'm expecting at least one candidate for 2026 to have ban sports gambling ads in their platform. I want to watch sports, not the MGM FanDuel DraftKings line on the next touchdown

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 5d

I’m tempted to become the Man Utd fan that didn’t cut his hair until United won five in a row, except for Spurs scoring from open play. #coys

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 5d

Why working in state level politics is so difficult. Six hearings happened yesterday on Beacon Hill, meaning you had to choose which to cover AND miss out on Nazi tattoo discourse

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 6d

If I run for office and they go through my social media history and leaked group chats, there’s going to be a lot of questioning of how someone can be so deluded at the start of every Premier League season

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 6d

So you're saying that the Premier League should hire Ted Knutson in a Theo Epstein role?

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 6d

Either these are three different stories, or @wutrain.bsky.social is having a very busy October

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 6d

Has any historical figure gotten more famous for writing fanfic than Virgil?

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 7d

I plan to offer all future employees access to the best dating app (comments section of the Financial Times)

Chris Oates @chrisoates.bsky.social · 7d

My wife is watching Psych and I must have missed a backstory because I’m not sure why the guy who’s very good at solving crimes and whose dad is a cop has to pretend to be a psychic to solve crimes with cops