Wise words on Civic Engagement from Jim Keene, City Manager of Palo Alto
If people are going to put real thought and effort into thinking about how to improve their communities, I really believe they need to feel confident that someone who can take action is listening. That might be a groundswell of their peers, or a few members of local government, but it takes time to build a groundswell, and we've found that there are plenty in government who are actions for real healthy civic conversations, and that government can make a great partner.
I was reading a white paper on civic engagement this evening (attached), came across an great quote.Page 11In the view of Jim Keene, city manager of Palo Alto, the question for public administrators to ask is “what conversations can the city support that create stronger social and civic capital?” He notes that there is inherent tension when governments encourage citizens to do what citizens need to do for themselves. When this tension is handled well, public administrators are acting, as Keene put it, “authentically” and advancing engagement (Pearce & Pearce 2010, 21). At Localocracy we have been torn for quite a while on whether any technology company should be selling tools for engagement to city governments. So far, we have found it best to remain independent, and sell to local media outlets instead. But local leaders are vital participants, and we have the stats to prove that engagement from leaders really does matter to users. We've had some great support from local leaders in Massachusetts so far, as we expand I hope to run into many more who think like Jim Keene. Conor White-SullivanCo-Founder and CEO, Localocracy
