I am responding to various comments I've noticed here and there about public involvement in governance. The primary stimulus was David Beck's post Is the 300 East Main proposal worth supporting?, in which he stated, "It seems there is a surprisingly low amount of public focus on a project that will undoubtedly reshape Carrboro," which was followed by some comments about the frequency and openness of the public hearings (here, here, here, and here). Similar sentiments can be found in the posts Increase Citizen Input and Desperately seeking Democracy.
My question is this: By what means are citizens made aware of significant events in our local politics?
I ask because these various comments make it seem that such information is obvious to the general public. Perhaps it is, then making many of us lazy or apathetic in our ignorance; but I would argue that most folks are simply unaware, and steps should be taken to create a more informed and more involved citizenry.
As an example, I've lived in Carrboro for five years, and it was only this year that I first learned about the redevelopment of 300 E Main. How are folks supposed to know about such things? I can think of a few means, but I can think also of reasons why they're inadequate (which boil down to people's awareness and habits). The methods I can come up with are the various local government websites, notices in the local newspapers,notices by postal mail, and the local access channel on tv.
Well, that sounds like a veritable font of information -- especially if one throws in unofficial sources such as other websites (like Orange Politics) and word of mouth -- but the unstated assumption here is that everyone's information-gathering habits are the same. I know that the great majority of Americans have internet access, but in 2003 the figure was something like 62% of American households, for which only a fraction of time or use was to gain information on government, and NC ranked far below the national average (U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Commerce). Similarly, not everyone reads the newspaper front to back (no citation here, sorry). As far as I can tell, notices are sent by mail only for certain hearings and only to the residents who might be directly affected (for example, over the course of several years, I received only a few notices concerning only my street) (and, yikes! how much would it cost to mail notices to everyone on every important topic). Lastly, ...well, do we even have usage figures for the local access channel? I can't imagine that very many people exist who think to look at it more than a few times per year, and then only because they stumbled on it flipping channels.
And let me say this, before anyone makes the argument that the information is out there and citizens have a responsibility to remain informed and if they're not keeping up then too bad. I agree that folks have a responsibility to stay aware and involved in their local goings-on, but I would disagree on the "too bad for them" part; government (and the Media) has just as much of a responsibility to keep the people informed. This is not as simple as posting a notice on a web page. This is not an easy task for either government or the people, because the people usually have enough trouble just keeping up with themselves, much less everyone and everything else going on in the community. Life gets in the way. There is work to be done, children to be fed, chores to be finished, shopping to be done, and all of the rest of the daily grind. We, sitting here reading and typing away on the Internet on our laptops and sipping lattes, tend to forget that the majority of Americans do not have a university or college degree. This is not to denigrate anyone without such a degree. Plenty of folks in "blue collar" work pay close attention to their communities and make their voices heard in their local governments, but I think most people are too busy getting by to be aware of the changes going on around them.
So again I ask, how is the public made aware of significant events in our local politics? And, if we find that the answer is not sufficient (as I believe it is not), then what can we do to solve that?
Issues:
Comments
Great Question!
Let me share an example. A couple of years ago, UNC was going to discuss a nearby project and sent letters out to those in the surrounding neighborhoods. After the session I was talking with a neighbor about the topic and they asked how I knew about the meeting. I told them that UNC mailed us a letter. Their response: "Oh, I always throw out that mail from UNC!"
So you're right, what's the solution?
Another Example
Fred,
A recent example for which I can provide some specific numbers is the informational meeting for the Glen Lennox NCD process which the Planning Board recently held. The Town Staff sent out notices to ~ 850 residents and we had about 1/10 that number attend the meeting. How many of the recipents of those notices saw something in their mail from the Town and just decided to trash it I can't say but I'm guessing it was more than just a few.
And what's even more
Thanks for your honesty and
Thanks for your honesty and a great question.
All I can do is share my own experience. I think I was a pretty typical resident--mom to young kids, really busy and stressed out at work, and consumed with just keeping the fridge stocked and dinner cooked. I opened my mail one day and saw notice of a hearing to grant a special use permit for a piece of property near my house. I had no idea what that meant, so I picked up the phone and called Town Hall. Roger Walden, the then Planning Director, (bless him), took a lot of time to explain this to ignorant me and suggested places where I could find out more. One thing led to another and another.......
That started my interest and involvement in local issues. As I looked at that one issue, I started paying attention to other issues. I started reading the local paper, going to Council meetings (or watching them on TV) , listening to WCHL, subscribing to local organization newsletters, joining my neighborhood assocation, and just asking questions. I began to realize that there was a lot of information about what is going on locally out there, I just needed to pay attention. I started paying attention because this initial thing had sparked my interest.
Was it as easy to learn about this stuff as it is to learn about national issues? No. (not much money to be made on local news) And it's certainly not as centralized. But it didn't take a whole lot of effort once I started looking. A lot of people were very good to help me and answer questions, among them many of our elected officials and our town staff. They have always been accessible.
I think it starts by making a decision that what happens in your local community is important. You decide that you are going to be informed about what's happening in your town and then start researching where your sources for that information are. It's not much different from researching what schools you want your children to attend, or what neighborhood you want to live in. You start doing some footwork and asking some questions. You find the time to learn more about something if it either sufficiently interests you or sufficiently impacts you. What I think is lacking is most people's understanding about how much local issues impact them or how much influence they can really have. An hour spent on local issues probably directly benefits you much more than an hour spent on national issues.
There are always ways to improve communcation and I hope your post will spark some creative ideas. In the meantime, call up a few people and start talking!
I
"listening to WCHL"
I agree with this method and it is one of many I use. I was pleased recently when I went to the debate between Congressman Price and his opponent on UNC's campus, (I was sitting at the front) the person who sat down by me was a WCHL reporter. I really like that they have that word from the street, and the option for commentaries from regular citizens on local issues, in addition to their news coverage. I've go a WCHL static cling on my car, & I tell any friends who are interested in local news about that local radio station, so I hope I'm helping in my small own small way.
OrangePolitics is an incredibly useful resource as well, and I've actively tried to increase awareness of this site by sharing it on local school message boards, as well as progressive sites like bluenc.com, pamshouseblend.com, and on social networking sites like myspace & facebook, and mentioning as a site worth checking out to people with the ACLU of NC, Equality NC, and some democratic campaigns.
Infact whenever a local (or national) story or issue particularly peaks my interest I try to inject it into some mostly locally people by "publishing" it here:
http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=15887256639
I agree word of mouth can be one of the best resources. I'll be honest though, I've never been to a town council meeting here in Chapel Hill, but that is something I would like to do.
" then what can we do to solve that?"
As you can probably guess my answer to this question is marketing. Not marketing local stories, but marketing/raising awareness of sources for local issues.
Close, but not quite
Ah, yes, radio! Another great resource. These are good ideas you have, but I mean for my question to focus on a more "push technology" concept -- how to get the information to the masses in the first place? For now, I'm not interested in changing peoples' habits, rather matching the information sources to their existing habits. Now, certainly, once the ball gets rolling, then convincing people to be more proactive is, of course, the better idea in the long run -- the whole "teach a man to fish..." concept.
-----
Brian Moore for President, 2008!
One Possibility
Off the top of my head, I can think of one possible solution. It's inspired by the charrette held by Weaver Street Market a few years back for 201 N Greensboro Street in Carrboro. WSM placed a large placard outside the store for people to read about the issue and make suggestions. I thought, "What a great idea! It's right here; people can't miss it."
Now, upon thinking about it, I realize that this idea isn't feasible for anyone but the smallest communities, such as Carrboro; certainly, it wouldn't work county-wide. But for Hillsborough, Carrboro, Pittsboro, etc., here's how I imagine it would work.
The Town Council would make agreements with the major local grocery stores or other major shopping centers -- any place that people necessarily must frequent. A small notice board would be prominently displayed for official use, upon which notices of public hearings and whatnot would appear. I would recommend large lettering and a little color, too, rather than the typical, boring, black and white official notices. Additionally, given our demographics, notices would be posted in Spanish as well as English.
If we wanted to take it a step further, the board could be enlarged enough to allow one portion to be used by various groups to post their support or opposition to whatever measures -- that way people wouldn't have to go far to begin their search for information. (In case you're wondering, I imagine these would be locked displays, so parties would have to submit their flyers to Town Hall to be placed on the boards, rather than folks posting things willy-nilly.)
What do you think? Any other ideas?
-----
Brian Moore for President, 2008!
OC only
Hm...how to get information
Hm...how to get information to the masses in the first place? I guess you put the message out where they're looking and do it in a way that catches their attention. I think doing this for local issues has two challenges---catching someone's attention and repeating the information enough. When you are relying on free help (Public service announcements) from traditional media outlets, it's pretty hard to compete with other things that have money to spend on getting their message out----like presidential campaigns, for example!
Maybe things in print could be redesigned to catch someone's attention a little better--a little more "marketing flair" might help.
I think for young people social networking sites might be helpful. Schools and work are two areas where people congregate--how might you use those? What about sporting events? Maybe archiving and podcasting meetings is a thought? I like your idea about the grocery stores, but you would have to make sure they were kept updated and current. That would be a staffing matter.
And finally, I think there are just some people without any interest in local issues, and nothing you do is going to engage that group. They only get involved when something hits close to home on their core interests--school budgets, their own neighborhood, etc. It's amazing to see how quickly someone can get up to speed on an issue when they have a personal interest in it, so that tells me the information is out there for anyone who makes some effort to find it.
IIf a person can't be bothered to open and read his own mail, read or listen to the local news, open an email from his town, check out the Town website, place a phone call, or watch a Council meeting on TV, then I don't think there is much you or I can do. Like most other things, personal initiative has to be part of the mix.
Getting info not the problem
Seems like Glen Lennox showed that info will spread out when there's a collective interest at stake and a forum for responding.
Compare that to the airport authority story in which it looks as if Jim Heavner and Adam Abrams and some legislators had a hand in nudging Moeser to reconsider closing HWairport.
When there's a culture of that kind of heavyweight manuvering behind the scene, people soon figure out that in such an arena, personal initiative is well, it's like the guy in the song who's girlfriend not only didn't save the last dance, she also forgot who's taking her home.
2nd that
The reason we residents of SW Orange County didn't know what was going on in regard to siting an airport out here is because it was willfully kept from us. The decision on whether or not to undo that damage will be a test and an early indicator of Thorp's integrity.