We Love: U.S. Representative Kirsten E. Gillibrand

Freshman Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand originally came to our attention as the subject of a New York Times series chronicling her initial year in the House. A first-time representative, Gillibrand, forty, won a bruising contest in her upstate New York district and edged out her Republican opponent to become the first Democrat to hold that seat in thirty years. But what makes us admire Gillibrand is her goal for complete transparency in all of her actions and dealings while in office. She’s (amazingly) the first member of Congress to publish the details of all her meetings, no matter how sensitive, on her official website, in a listing called the Sunlight Report. In an age of constant obfuscation and spin in politics, it’s refreshing to see an elected official who has this kind of openness topping her priorities, as it is a sure sign that she devotes all of her time and energies to serving her constituents.

To learn more about Rep. Gillibrand, visit her official website.