Public Participation

[Amy Swiatek <amys@ncl.org>]

Hi - Amy with National Civic League - the oldest "good government" organization that focuses on civic participation with the intent of strengthening citizen democracy by transforming democratic institutions. My work with Community Services emphasizes inclusive processes and cross sector collaboration.

I've been trying to keep up with yesterday and today's messages, but am afraid that it's a lot to keep up with -- which I suppose says a lot for the participation in this type of forum.

I am interested in the forum itself and to see how I like using it and now want to add my two cents to the idea of public participation.

I liked what Eileen had to say today about the importance of integrating partipation in every step --- and for me that would also have to include the design of the overall process as well. Also, communicating that process and making sure that people know that there will be a sound process where their voices will be heard is vital.  Steps, series of meetings, etc... And the obstacles and limitations of their participation.

But probably most important is that no question should be asked unless the EPA can respond or incorporate the information received/the answer to the question. That is probably the quickest way to lose trust and waste time. 

Also, as someone else had mentioned -- I believe it was David James yesterday, that "members of the public will particpate if they think that by their participation they can change the outcome of an agency decision." The process needs to be real and needs to have participation from a variety of stakeholders early on and continually -- definitely an iterative process.

Lastly, the EPA and those whom partner with you (which is suggested) need to be aware of the differing organizational cultures between a federal agency, local gov, npo, biz, individual citizen, etc... and how they will clash. Ultimately, it seems that the org culture of the EPA should also be reexamined to see if it is set up for true civic participation and the importance of it to the institution.  It might require a paradigm shift....