With contested City Council and School Board elections looming in the Cypress borough, voters there are sure to make their voices heard at the polls on Nov. 2.

However, what comes after that? One Cypress resident is using social media to set up lines of communication between the borough’s residents and their elected officials.

“It just seemed like a natural fit to have a Facebook page for the Cypress borough,” said Melina Winterton. “I feel like technology isn’t really useful unless what it does actually enriches actual life.”

Winterton got the idea to create the group from the recent discussion surrounding the Four Farms development. The 462-acre tract of land between White Marsh and Hosier roads is proposed to include nearly 2,000 housing units and plenty of commercial space.

Plus, Winterton says, she didn’t know that East Suffolk Recreation Center had won a prestigious recreation award until she heard about it from several other people.

“I was feeling a little isolated in terms of information flow,” she said. “I had to hear about it several times down the line.”

Parts of the Cypress borough, like where Winterton lives, are rural areas where neighbors might be miles apart.

“There wasn’t any place for me to talk with people in my specific neighborhood,” Winterton said. “I know my immediate neighbors, but there’s not the density of population for me to get together with all my neighbors and talk about X, Y and Z.”

She thought of starting a Facebook group for the borough’s 6,000-plus registered voters and other residents.

“This would be a great way of doing everything on the same page,” Winterton said. “My issue is smart growth, but it could be other people’s issues are education, or the community center, what’s the spraying schedule or when are they going to clean the ditches. This would really be a great way for a council person to interact with their specific borough.”

Anyone with a Facebook account can join the group. To find it, search “Suffolk Cypress” on Facebook groups or click here.