Citizen involvement

Washington County is caught up in many controversies these days that could be less contentious if the County were practicing open, responsive government and systematically involving citizens in planning.  The current top-down approach to policy-making aggravates conflict, rather than resolving it.  Concerned citizens and advocacy groups are excluded from early discussions of such issues as the Fair and Fairgrounds management, proposed Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) pipelines, and Urban and Rural Reserves (deciding how & where to grow over the next 50 years).

When finally given the opportunity to comment on plans, citizen input is often ignored or dismissed.  County leaders meet regularly with city officials, as they should, but that's not sufficient.  Both County and City officials seem overly influenced by lobbyists, speculators, and professional advisors whose own economic interests may be at stake. 

As a result:

• Thousands of people living outside cities have no representation in critical discussions about the future of their neighborhoods, transportation systems, or public spaces.
• The County loses the benefit of the knowledge and skills that our citizens and advocacy groups could bring to planning, if invited to participate in early discussions and design processes.
• The County spends public funds on promoting, rather than investing in systematic planning with community groups toward workable solutions to complex issues.
• Citizens often feel ignored or belittled by County officials and employees, whether in hearings, on the phone, or at service counters.

I have been a tireless advocate for improving citizen and stakeholder involvement in critical County decisions.  As a member of the Save Helvetia steering committee, a member of CPO 8, and a Washington County Farm Bureau board member, I've testified numerous times about farm and forestland protection and the need for better citizen involvement.

I intend to set new priorities.

1. Let's make full and appropriate use of our official, (voluntary) Citizen Participation Organizations.  We should improve support for CPOs, encourage re-activation of dormant groups, and routinely use them as intended: to advise on, as well as to publicize, county plans and projects.
2. Let's establish a practice of conducting regular meetings –perhaps quarterly, at Board work sessions – in which the Committee for Citizen Involvement (the leadership council representing active CPOs) confers with the Board and senior planning staff to review and plan for citizen participation in major and ongoing projects.
3. Let's reconstitute traditional ongoing advisory committees (e.g., Coordinating Committee to advise on transportation planning) to include a wider variety of stakeholder and community groups, including CPOs in unincorporated urban areas and advocacy groups specializing in the subject of the committee's work.  Where feasible, we should allow constituent groups to nominate committee members for Board appointment.  If necessary to facilitate cooperative problem solving, the County could provide trained professionals to facilitate meetings.
4. When an area is targeted for changes in transportation facilities, land uses, or governance, we can involve residents and property owners early on in crafting the changes.  We can use well-trained facilitators, architects, and other resource people to work with community members, not just to do “sales presentations”.
5. I propose convening “Urban-Rural summits” involving business, community, nonprofit, and public agency leaders in identifying unmet community needs and working together to find creative solutions to address them.
6. We must cultivate courtesy and good communication skills in all the County's interactions with citizens – in phone calls, meetings, hearings, offices, and clinics.

With your vote and your help, we can move Washington County forward in the important area of citizen involvement.  I ask for your vote on May 18th.