The City Council of Boston preserves data from its meetings and makes it available online. There are a few other links for open government data here, as well.
Scroll to the bottom for a description of the new data management system. They're working to add more data, make already-available data easier to search and use, and exposing the data to developers. I'm particularly interested in the "Constituent commenting and testimony management" - from that description, I envision an online system for constituents to comment/testify on pending legislation. This does have the effect of lowering the barrier to engagement (as opposed to making a phone call or attending a meeting; I think sending an email is about the same level of difficulty, but this might feel more effective than email because it's a designated forum for communicating one's ideas to one's elected officials), but only for those who are privileged enough to have internet access. Unfortunately, I don't know how to extend this kind of open government initiative in the absence of technology.
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