1. Meaningful Citizen Engagement Tim Woods March, 2009

2. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Old School… “Neither starting-place nor appointed destination… and where the enterprise is to keep afloat on an even keel.” Michael Oakeshott

3. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Today… “We seem to be moving towards a different kind of system in which working directly with the public may be just as important as representing their interests.” Steve Burkholder, Mayor of Lakewood, California

4. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Challenge: How to integrate public opinion and public input into the decision making process.

5. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Two Kinds of Leadership 1.Decide, Advocate, Defend Leader reviews options & champions the ‘right policy’ 2. Inclusive, Dialogic, Genuine process Leader champions the ‘right process’ – to harvest energy, creativity and wisdom of the whole community

6. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Citizens….Ignore Them at your Peril Government is a service sector…and expectations are high and getting higher Being consulted is one of the metrics of modern ‘service’ Satisfaction with government service translates into legitimacy for government

7. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Use Citizen Power… Citizens hold progressive values… that can sustain progressive policies and politicians.

8. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Purpose of Public Participation Public preference plays a part in decisions Adds local knowledge to decision-making Fairness and Justice Lends legitimacy for policy decisions Legal Requirement

9. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Public Hearings: Nobody Listens, Nobody Cares Only the protagonists/antagonists participate Format promotes confrontational politics  Battleground rhetoric, media coverage Format is all about power relationships Undermines faith in governance Propels elected officials to adopt ‘decide + sell’ strategy

10. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Citizenship 2.0 Citizens are: Highly Educated  Informed, Access to Expertise On-line  Connected at home and at work Self-organizing  Blogs, twitter, social networking

11. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Public Participation 2.0…. Collaborative Participation ‘ Return on Participation ’  Transparency of process and purpose  Search for solutions  Dialogue that is constructive and reshapes perspectives  Builds trust among stakeholders  Develops networks among participants Decisions that are understood and respected

12. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 So What’s the Difference??? One Way Talk… Elite or Self-selected… Reactive/Controversial… Knowledge Transfer… … Dialogue …Diverse Participants …Ongoing Exchange …Knowledge Exchange VS.

13. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Davis, California….yes we can Voters reject a tax increase…leaving multi-million dollar deficit to repair City council appoints Citizen Budget Commission – with representation from ‘tax hike, service cuts champions along with city staff, other representative community voices Commission learns about budget, programs, services Result: unanimous agreement, and ratified by voters

14. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Blockages Along the Way Sharing influence with citizens perceived as a threat Lack of collaborative skills, officials, public Busy citizens have limited time Cost of designing, staffing more genuine efforts Partisanship is embedded A more legitimate voice for citizens is not in the comfort zone of the political right

15. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Methodologies at a Glance Deliberative Polling Appreciative Inquiry Choice Work Sustained Dialogue

16. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Your City’s Website: Open for Citizen Input? Home page – “Have Your Say” Mandate – what’s up? Process overview … how process fits into decision- making Timelines Meetings…format, timing, location Publications …research, consultation process, access to submissions Participation …by email, in person, submissions Contact information

17. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Useful Links www.deliberate.ca The Deliberation Network. Find case histories, links to dialogue methodologies www.deliberate.ca www.c2d2.ca Canadian Community for Dialolgue & Deliberation www.c2d2.ca www.thataway.org US-based equivalent to c2d2 with enormous resource library www.thataway.org Coming to Public Judgment, Daniel Yankelovich

18. The Deliberation Network, March 2009 Tim Woods, Partner timwoods@deliberate.ca www.deliberate.ca Tel: 250 388-4915 Fax: 250 388-4916 Cell: 250 480-6668