I like talking to people about stuff. Even (and maybe even especially) if I disagree with them. Even if you know a person very well you never know when they will say something that will bounce off a random synapse and you’ll see something in a different light or crystalize something for you.
I was over visiting with my parents yesterday. They live a block away so this isn’t a tale of the journey. No, I was talking with my mother and she mentioned that she and Dad were watching a re-run of a Council meeting (they must love me a lot to watch a Council re-run) and she observed that there were people speaking in opposition of abortion at almost every meeting. I nodded my head in ascent – there is normally at least one person that speaks at every meeting. Then she asked me a question that, for whatever reason, jangled a synapse. Mom asked if it surprised me that people always show up to address the Council on abortion.
I made up my answer as I went along but I indicated that it doesn’t surprise me that people speak to their elected representatives about things that they are passionate about. In a rare moment of clarity I added this: I said that it has always surprised me that nobody shows up to talk about anything else. I don’t know, maybe I’m overplaying the story but the point is key.
As I indicated, there is at least one person speaking about abortion every meeting. However, I can only recall one person speaking about schools in the last year. Three hundred showed up for a meeting on KK’s. Can’t recall anyone speaking about public safety of any sort. Slashed spending over the past three years and heard from a single soul at a meeting. The email volume is about the same which baffles me. You don’t even have to leave your house to do that.
I guess that if I were to venture an explanation it would be two-fold: The first is that people don’t really know what local government does. Indeed, it is my belief that if more people knew how government really works that Council meetings would be standing room only and the Federal and State governments would be half their current size.
Updated: The second part was originally, more or less, laziness. However, that explanation (as many pointed out in the comments is, well, lazy. I suppose there isn’t a single theory of everything here and that the truth is closer to what you read in the comments. Everyday folks have everyday reasons and that’s no bad thing.
November 14, 2010 at 1:44 pm
My feel is that those citizens with a “conservative” philosophy feel Council is so conservative it will go their way without their input, and those with a “liberal” philosophy feel like they would be wasting their time.
I suspect if the Council were evenly balanced philosophically, there would be more “controversy” (for lack of a better word) and thus more involvement from those on opposing sides. BUT, probably more from the extremes than the from the middle.
Just my $.02.
November 14, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Andy,
I suspect that folks show up when its a passionate issue, because it takes that level of passion to shake them from their apathy. But, I also believe that most people trust their elected officials on most of the “run the ship” types of issues.
To DavidB’s point, I believe the makeup of council is reflective of the center/right makeup of the citizenry. As long as I can remember, the council has been a mix of conservatives and moderates. Sure, Manassas has it’s share of liberals, but they can’t seem to get one of their own elected, even when they bother to run someone.
November 14, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Someone once told me going to city hall is like “going to Mount Olympus.” Facing that dias, and knowing you’re on the air can be intimidating.
I speak if I have something worth saying, especially if I feel like hate is being tolerated (because it can escalate) or, if people are being prejudged, like the Skokans. (Yesterday’s article was the most accurate so far:
http://www.gainesville-times.com/news/2010/nov/13/mother-daughter-duo-stares-down-controversy-new-bo/)
The abortion comments are, to me, repetitive, intimidating, disturbing and difficult for someone who has suffered multiple miscarriages to sit through.
I like it when people come and say thank you. I enjoyed speaking to the CALEA people in the council chambers about the great things the police are doing in our neighborhoods, and then learning that the Manassas City Police Dept. has earned the prestigious flagship status of accredidation — top 2 or 4 % in the United States? That’s phenomenal.
November 14, 2010 at 5:07 pm
Try that link again:
http://www.gainesville-times.com/news/2010/nov/13/mother-daughter-duo-stares-down-controversy-new-bo/
November 14, 2010 at 5:18 pm
(My usual computer is in the shop so I am writing without the benefit of Word to check my spelling and grammer. I feel compelled to respond to this. Please forgive any mistakes.)
Mr. DavidB is correct. The way the Council is one-sided at the moment is indeed a reason for lack of in-put. I also argee with Cindy with her suggestion that is intimidating to go to City Hall and adress the dias. I’ll explain more once I get to KKs the list of areas Mr. Harrover made.
Schools- I think people are usually happy with the schools. I know I have nothing really bad to say but I haven’t heard alot of school bashing so I have not felt the need to speak on their behalf. I went through the system from K to 12 without any issues and they help get me a year’s worth of college credits before fully entering college and a whole bunch of nice awards. However, I do not see what use the Council would have for my praise so I do not comment on them.
KKs- This is were Mr. DavidB’s comment comes in. The Council is taken such a conservative tone that it will not shake from that those who support the Council, semming also conservatives, on this are happy but moderates and liberals are not happy and know by now that the Council has made up its mind and nothing they can say will its mind.
John Stuart Mill, in his work On Liberty, wrote of a “tyranny of the majority” in a Democratic society in which the viewpoint of the majority was king and those in the minority with different were bushed aside. In the City, it is a tyranny of the minority on this issue of “adult stores” where that small group of people who are so firmly agaist KKs and the like have gained control over the Council through their vocal actions. While there were 300 people at the Council, it must be remembered that that hearing was before KKs opened. Views have changed since then as the fears argued by Del. Miller and the like proved unfounded and many of those who spoke might not speak again. It must also be remembered that in the 1968 Presidental election that the Democrats felt they were the majority since they had the most vocal supporers. However, Richard Nixon banked on the idea of a “silent majority” that was not vocal and felt differently then the vocal people. Nixon was right- a majority of the, at least voting, members of the nation did feel differently then those being the most vocal- and he won the election. The Council is making the same mistake as the Democrats in 1968.
From my own personal experience, of all the people I’ve talked to (which if one counts the time it was breifly dicussed in my conflict class is over 40 people), not one supported the City. These people include neighboors, friends, classmates, and professors of both young and old age. I heard reasons such as this being just conservative politics as usual al la Aveni’s abortion measure, the Council seems to going out of control al la Way and his list of “business that effect communities”, goverment should not regulating a person’s right to open or visit a legal business, and that the Council is generally a joke nowadays since it just does what it whats to and nonone runs agaist them. I am too good of a social scienist to try to generalize this since it is not a random poll or anything. I will not say which opinion(s) I personally agree with aside from saying I agree with some and agree with others. Over on the N&M site, I once saw a comment where someone had counted the comments in the N&M articles and comments on its website of articles and found a 4-to-1 ratio of those pro-KKs and/or agaist the City’s actions to those anti-KKs and/or in favor of the City’s actions. Based on all this, there does seem to be a “silent majority” of those pro-KKs and/or agiast the City that do not go to the Council for whatever reason.
My suggestion would be for the Council to “hit the streets” and talk to real people instead of just waiting for people to come to them in their meetings. People can’t go to meetings or don’t write emails to Council for many reasons. To say people don’t talk to the Council simply because people don’t know about government or don’t care ignores all the reasons why people don’t know about government or don’t care. I believe many people do have an opinion on a hot topic like KKs that has been all over the media but have some reason not expressed it to Council.
As for me, I no longer feel like the Council is listening to the opposition on this issue. Councilmember Way is intent on ramming this ordiance through in the shortest legally allowed time, Mr. Crim says any issue in or out of court will be held off until the final ordiance is made, Vice Mayor Harrover writes one-to-three-line responces to my thoughs that do nothing more then say I’m mistaken in someway or missing the point, a memember of the Planning Commission raises a valid point to amend the ordiance and then retracts it since it will take time, and so forth. It is quite clear the City has made up its mind to just pass the ordinance and care for any opposition or delay. This is why I will not be at the meeting: it just doesn’t matter anymore. If there were more of a balance of the Council like Mr. DavidB writes and I felt the Council would really listen, then I would still go. But I will provide what I was thinking of saying during the brief time when I was thinking of going:
Members of Council,
I come to you to speak agaist this ordinance. However, I know you all will still pass the ordinance regradless of my objection. The comments agaist stores like KKs by Mr. Way, Mr. Aveni, and Mr. Harrover make it clear the Council just wants to pass this ordinance as you all have personal objections to them. In spite of that, the objection I present is in regerds a clause in the definition of “adult business” reading in part “or any other establishment that regularly exploits an interest in matter” and then gos on to decribe the content of such “matter.” That catch-all cause means any store selling anything sexual in any way from medical textbooks that have some focus on those “specified anatomical areas” to video games whose ratings are made for “nudity” and/or “strong sexual content.” For how can a store sell such items, and continue to sell them in such a volume to warrent their stocking of such items, without “regularly exploit[ing the said interests]?” From the lack of guidance in the ordinanice what the phrase means, it sure sounds that a store cannot sell any of the said items without being an “adult business.” Please think about that and thank you for your time.
Public Safety- On fire, I think there is more behind-the-scenes stuff goinf on. I know a certain someone who is very active behind-the-scenes just as a citizen.
On police, most people are very happy with the MCPD (al la Cindy’s comment)- just look the CALEA Flagship status and what citizens said to the CALEA people that help to get the MCPD that status. Like schools, I think when people are happy, they do not complain. From my studies on the matter at GMU, I think in some ways it’s a good thing that no-one is standing up about the police because when people usually talk to their city government about their PD, its about a problem they have with the PD.
Budget- I think most people just care if their taxes are going up or down. Most people aren’t too interested in the finite details of spending or do not have the skill set needed to read the budget and make good comments on it. I myself do cannot really read the budget or forecasts by myself since I was really only thaught budget theories in my undergraduate public budgeting class- not so much how to read a real budget.
November 14, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Andy H,
Stupidity and apathy are the best you can come up with?
Andy B,
There is a word in the english language, i.e., brevity.
November 14, 2010 at 7:54 pm
@Doug: be careful with your words, I wasn’t making the case that the electorate can’t know (calling them stupid). I was making the case that they don’t know.
@David: you make an interesting point but I wonder. Doesn’t the turnout by the conservatives on their issues indicate that they don’t trust the Council to “get it right”?
@AB: You’re right, I never got back to that other thread…apologies.
November 14, 2010 at 8:48 pm
I’ve been to a several council meetings.
Several impressions;
When speaking, that I was talking to deaf ears
They are going to do what they want to do.
You need a large group like HSM to get any attetion.
At the end of the meetings Mr. Aveni was the only one to come and talk to me, Nice fellow, answered my questions.
Most of the people I talk to think its futile to go to the meetings agreeing with my second impression.
Overall I think the council does a pretty good job and basically my only gripe is the question that never gets answered.
Why the amount of cash out of my pocket has more than doubled over the last 9 yrs and it still isn’t enough?
I’ll save that long winded gripe for another time.
Thank you
November 15, 2010 at 8:00 am
bud asked:
“Why the amount of cash out of my pocket has more than doubled over the last 9 yrs and it still isn’t enough?”
Bud,
I suggest that you look at the people feeding the Council the information and direction on how, why, where, and what to spend our money on. City Manager would be a good place to start.
November 15, 2010 at 8:11 am
@Cindy B
I consider those who stand up for the unborn and against abortion heroes of the community. They are standing up for the weakess and most defenseless among us. I’m sorry for your personal loss and suffering, but why belittle or begrudge fellow citizens who are standing up for the most fundamental human right, life? Why?
November 15, 2010 at 8:22 am
Andy H.
I stand corrected. ‘Poorly informed’ or ‘uninformed’ would more accurately capture what you were stating. Correct?
So we combine that with ‘apathy,’ an indifference, a laziness on the part of citizenry to inform themselves and take part in educating themselves, as to the role and activities of local government, and what we have then is a citizenry that is not stupid by nature but by choice. Is that a better summary of what you were saying?
November 15, 2010 at 8:24 am
@Doug: see updated front page….:)
November 15, 2010 at 10:04 am
Not belittling or begrudging anyone. I carpooled for five years to McLean, two hours a day, with a woman who had strong anti-abortion views and shared her faith with me, as well as taught me the rosary. I’m simply expressing the renewed pain I feel at seeing plastic fetuses or hearing graphic step-by-step procedures at city council meetings. I’m allowed those feelings, too.
November 15, 2010 at 10:40 am
“From my own personal experience, of all the people I’ve talked to (which if one counts the time it was breifly dicussed in my conflict class is over 40 people), not one supported the City. These people include neighboors, friends, classmates, and professors of both young and old age”
Bernie Goldberg once related an anecdote in one of his books, “Bias”. He was speaking with Dan Rather, and asked Dan if he thought he might have a liberal bias. Dan denied it, and in his own defense, related how he had spoken with 100 people on a particular issue, and most agreed with him. Bernie asked where these 100 people were located, and Dan replied, “right here, in Manhatten”.
I have spoken with just as many people, and even with the Skokan’s themselves. Most don’t understand that the new ordinance will have very little impact on KK’s, MVC, or FF. The Skokans understand this. The entire point of the new ordinance is to correct some rather glaring holes in the existing ordinance, and bring the City on par with PWC and MP. The point is to make Manassas less attractive to the most onerous adult oriented businesses. And, make the ordinance defensible. I have also told many in opposition that I’m grateful the trigger for this new ordinance was KK’s, and not something like a strip-club (which under the existing/old ordinance would have been easy to set up in Manassas).
As far as the “Tyranny of the Majority” goes, it can exist, as evidenced by the last 2 years of national politics. However, this is skewed in that it was the “elected majority” who chose to ignore the “voting majority”. It’s not really a direct correlation to what happens locally.
Elections, like wars, are won by who shows up. This council is center-right. It has always been center-right, as long as I have lived in the city. We have a long history of electing center-right people for local office, in Manassas. That is why Jenette Rishell has lost three attempts at elective office. That’s why that kid who ran for mayor on the “dude where’s my waterpark” platform a few years back, lost big. That is why Steve Randolph keeps getting re-elected. Manassas has its liberals, but not in sufficient quantity to drive local electoral success. It has its very conservative elements, but not in sufficient mass to completely take over the council. The council is a reflection of the voting electorate, ie. those who show up…center-right people, with center-right values and opinions. Perhaps the more liberal part of the electorate is under represented on council. It’s not council’s fault. Council represents the views of the folks who showed up on election day, and continue to show up (en masse) on the red meat issues that pop up from time to time.
I’ve said it before; the “run the engine” stuff like the budget process doesn’t draw a lot of spectators, because it doesn’t invoke a lot of passion, it’s too complicated, or people just trust council to do what’s right. I’ve been to a few budget sessions over the years. I’ve sat on citizen’s task-forces. It’s complicated, nitnoid stuff to “Mr.and Mrs. Sixpack”.
November 15, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Andy, living in the county, I have no experience with Manassas city politics. However, I have spoken at county school board meetings a couple of times. Each time it seemed clear to me that the school board had already decided in advance what it was going to do and allowing for citizen time was just a formality. Both times I came away feeling like I had wasted my time. I really wish there was a better mechanism for political participation. I know I am not the only person not interested in taking valuable time out of my busy day and away from my family to be ignored at best and treated disrespectfully at worst. If the process seemed less artificial and more meaningful, then maybe more people would be willing to participate in it.
November 15, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Patty,
I’ve spoken to the City Council, PWCBOS, and the PWCPS(with you). Your experience at the school board is NOT what either of the governing boards would be like. I assure. The new elementary school at Stonewall Middle was a fiasco from start to finish. They knew their BS was going to be exposed in the Staff Report that Allison and I worked on, all 88 pages of it and countless hours.
I’ve always found the City Council and BoS to be welcoming of public comment. Speaking to the board and council is our front line of communication with our elected officials. We as Americans should take better advantage of the opportunity to address our local government. Our local government has the most impact on our day to day and quality of life.
November 15, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Chris, thanks for providing that insight on the BOCS and city council. I was shocked and appauled by how citizens were treated by representatives of the school district. It was my first direct experience with the political process, and it may very well be my last. From that limited experience, I came away with the impression that if you don’t engage, you are labeled as lazy and unconcerned but if you do engage and don’t agree with the ones in power, you are labeled as negative and whiny.
I’ve lived in PWC for about 15 years, and I still feel like an outsider. Despite the tremendous growth lately, Manassas/PWC is still very much like a typical small town. It can be quite cliquish where only certain ones are automatically accepted. It takes a strong personality to ignore that dynamic and push for involvement anyway, far stronger than I possess.
I’m not trying to be negative, because overall I love PWC and I love where I live. I’m just trying to suggest that the experience living here might be quite different for a transplant than it is for someone who’s been here forever and ever. I’ve never had anybody be rude to me personally. In fact, everyone’s always been quite pleasant. But a polite brush off is still a brush off. I’ve never felt that my opinion was particularly valued or wanted. So I’ve tended to direct my energies elsewhere.
November 15, 2010 at 11:14 pm
Caution to readers: speaking with candor does not lead to brevity…only time brevity really works and counts is to say “duck” when the rounds fly overhead.
Andy, you pose an interesting hypothesis…and your questions of why do people not come; why not a flood of emails..why only come when it is a hot button item that riles passion.
Conservative versus Liberal does not seem to fit into the picture when you look at the grander view. Sure, overall moderate conseratives sit on the Council, but this City, at least as I see it, does not really have a sterotypical liberal base. The last several months have shown more of a strong passion on one side of an issue (i.e. Abortion Clinic Resolution and Adult Stores), with a smaller number giving an opposite view.
There is the factor of the majority of the Council is known personally to many by either having watched them grow up, had their kids in schools with Councilmembers kids, or know them from other entities in the City. They have an established trust with the individual, so trust when performing duties of the Council their belief is warranted.
In part, lack of participation may be as Patti referenced – time is a valuable commodity in a bedroom community, with commutes and family life and calendars filled with places to be. For some, it is more just how what the City does that impacts their immediate dollars than stepping into voicing or writing an opinion.
For others, there is an apathy – start with looking at elections results. When you look at Council elections, if there was not apathy, we would not be seeing 1/4 to 1/2 of voters turning out to elect Mayor and Council. Since there is not a large field to select from, it falls back to the “they would get elected even if only one person votes so why bother?” And why more don’t run is another whole blog discussion which could be started and go on forever.
The attitude of many may also be the Council lately is pursing things to either satisfy someone politcally, or is reactionary mode where the result is locked, so why bother saying anything. Even the reaction stuff is political based…but then, the first Golden Rule is “all politics are local”. Walk my street and talk to those who have lived here five or more years, and the words said cannot be typed into this blog. Disgust is a good descripter though.
Cindy made a good analogy by referring to the dias as Mount Olympus. Bud followed that with a comment about falling on deaf ears. Sometimes, the image protrayed by the Council is just that – lofty seats seeing, hearing, but not listening. This at times does bring out the crowd, even as you say Andy, when asking DavidB if conservatives turn out because they do not trust the Council to stand fast on something as written and being heard on. An individual person never hearing feedback either in person, a followup call, or via email or letter futher feeds this attitude the Council is not hearing.
I have spoken on a range of things to the Council. Most times it is in my roles of Aging & Disability; other times other topics. A couple have been tossed out, so let me run the list:
Public Safety: what? a 12-page memo on the FRC was not enough? 🙂 Well, stand by as I have been silent on the issue of the FRC and FRS watching the process…and it was not until after the largest fire in years happens, and the Council goes into closed session to discuss “operational”, that I decided it was time to fire up another analysis.
Part of Public Safety is Police, and yes, I know it is a budget issue. Hopefully since they busted their kisters to make Flagship, aside from grants, the time to look at adding line officers is now. Especially with the emphasis on Neighborhood Policing – which falls flat on its face when it comes to our Annual Neighborhood Conference. No table with Police present; no opportunity to talk to them in a roundtable. I’ll skip the rest – that is part of my budget comments coming up.
Budget cuts were a fact of life, and in part, explanations of what is important to most of having water, electric and sewer and the efforts to explain costs of those services was great – but one thing is missing. Yes, the worksheets are there and yes, you have to have some background in finance or accounting areas to dive into them. But no chart showing since we are keeping all higher-than-entry-level-postions, that benefits are going up as time on job go up.
With no entry level, the image also is we are getting career civil servants who are falling into the stereotype “civil servant”. Get paid whether they work or not. I personally know that is not completely the case, but it is an attitude which feeds apathy.
Oh yeah, I made that point about cutting entry level slots and where is mentoring and growing our own last budget season, and will be back again.
Budget cuts also impacted Zoning Enforcement. Wait…that is a mish mash too as citizens who file a complaint want results, and all they hear is a letter went out, gotta wait 30 days, blah blah blah. An infraction is an infraction, and to show City Hall cares, folks want results. Yes, effort was made to speed up the process, but I have a perfect example next door to me where it still fell flat on its face, so why report?
Schools – well, I have given my two cents on them and it is not so much the teachers as overall, my two kids had great ones. Me and others view it more of a School Board. I still stand on the point of looking at dissolving the elected board, and make it a fully intergrated department of the City.
Suggestion on that: Since there is evidence in other areas of this fine Commonwealth where elected boards are gone, and schools fully back as City departments creating a MEO, why not as a Council say, “Let’s do a Study”
I hear the groans – more wasted money. Nope – why not go out to GMU and propose it to a MPA Cohort, MBA Capstone, or Educ & HR project? A freebie! We as citizens pay enough toward GMU, so why not get something back.
I don’t think this is a Hawkin’s Theroy of Everything – only a minority make the effort to claim the City as theirs with full participation as citizens in govenment affairs. Don’t think it is a misinformed or uneducated public – just some too busy living and raising families (remember the tag line – “Manassas is a great place to grow up in”), and others just decided it is not worth the effort since lack of government response.
Oh yes – one last example of lack of response. I move the snow off my sidewalk no matter how much as my CIty says it is the rule and ordinance so dictates. But City does not enforce HOA or Commerical Property owner to do theirs. Why do I shovel mine and even clear out the fire hydrant? So I can tell the Council to enforce the rules on the books.
November 16, 2010 at 9:53 am
“Suggestion on that: Since there is evidence in other areas of this fine Commonwealth where elected boards are gone, and schools fully back as City departments creating a MEO, why not as a Council say, “Let’s do a Study”
I hear the groans – more wasted money. Nope – why not go out to GMU and propose it to a MPA Cohort, MBA Capstone, or Educ & HR project? A freebie! We as citizens pay enough toward GMU, so why not get something back.”
I like this idea. I like that it identifies a problem, posits a possible solution, and offerrs a low/no cost method of study.
November 16, 2010 at 10:33 am
One the first things the city council, with two newly
elected members, did in 1986 was to establish a
“time certain citizens comment time” at every
regular meeting. That was especially important to
to those of us who had not been allowed to speak
at council meetings. Being ignored as a
member of the Georgetown South Board and later
as president of the Baldwin PTA were, in no
small part, what moved me to run for the City Council
that year. Aware winning was a huge long shot,
my hope was to at least to” shake things up”
and open up the process for citizens.
Through the years, even when we have gotten “beaten up”
by speakers, it has always given me a quiet sense of
accomplishment to think I had even a small part in
the establishment of the public comment time.
Twice a month, every citizen has an opportunity
to stand up before the council, their peers,the media
(including TV in recent years), and senior staff
to “have their say”. Plus, my experience has
been that a small group or even one speaker can often
have a huge impact on an issue.
“I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend
your right to say it.”
Thomas Jefferson
November 16, 2010 at 10:47 am
Would remind everyone that an elected school
board was approved by a vote of the citizens
of Manassas. (Manassas Park, for example,
voted the other way). Any change would have
to approved by another city wide vote — not
an action of council.
During my first two terms on council we had
an appointed school board. That process was
not without controversy.
November 16, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Agree with our Tall Councilman, and resident historian, on encouraging people to come speak.
The reference of how even one speaker can often make a huge impact reminds me of the classic line “in every revolution it takes one man…”
Now, back on the School Board, yes, it does take a vote. The Study would not…that is an action by the Council.
There is another great saying “you never know until you try”. If the study also was focused on the MEO factor, and not just replacing the board, it may also provide empirical data which we citizens then could see and possibly answer some of the “hot button” points raised by people about the Board or the Classes – ELL classes, drop out rates, graduation rates, etc.
Just something offered for consideration.
November 17, 2010 at 10:26 am
Just so people know since I hear my comment drew some interest, if you’re not the post author, I really don’t compelled to write back if you write something back to me. I have decided to just focus on writing to the post author, not everyother commenter. I don’t want to get into a back and forth with any fellow poster. Besides, most everyone else is really just faceless words on the internet to me since I know so few of people here so I feel like I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I’m more compelled to cite posts by people I know or write back to people I know. Nothing personal, just the nature of the internet. You can have your opinion, I can have mine.
Now I just wanted to say I’m, to hold back stronger words, surprised and disappointed at what happened at Council which finally made the N&M today. Surprised that any memeber of Council would do anything to hold back the passage of this ordinance and disappointed that rather then fixing any of issues it has, Mr. Aveni has decided to make the ordinance worse trying to put even more restrictions on “adult businesses.” I guess the idea of a fast fix is dead as is any notion that I bother to write or go to Council. On on that note, that’s all I feel like writing right now aside to say this is why people do not talk or write the Council.
November 17, 2010 at 10:37 am
@AB: I’d be happy to get together with you irl and go over some of this stuff with you. I think if we were to talk about it some you might hold a slightly different view of the proceedings…..
November 17, 2010 at 2:00 pm
“… democracy is the worst form of government –
except for all the others that have been tried.”
Sir Winston Churchill
” After some Lake Wobegone Town Council
meetings, Mayor Eloise Kresbach needed four
strong shots of bourbon before her faith in
democracy was restored.”
Garrison Keillor
“Leading the council is like herding cats? Hell,
Randolph – that isn’t fair to cats.”
Former Manassas Mayor after a tense meeting.
November 17, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Remember reading an article over a decade ago
in Governing Magazine about how Scottsdale, Ariz.
city government was reaching out to citizens by
having open forums in different spots around
their community. After I shared the concept with then
city manager John Cartwright and the rest of the council,
we fashioned the first quarterly meetings in
schools. Now revised, to start with a general
city department “open house” for citizens, I
think it is a good idea although not always as
well attended as we would hope.
Then there is the city newsletter that is mailed with
utility bills and, of course, the well used
city website – even if most “hits” over the last
year have been for job openings.
Any new ideas on how to improve communication
with citizens?
November 17, 2010 at 5:42 pm
1. An e-newsletter that citizens can opt-in to subscribe with feedback for two-way communication.
2. Social networking (Facebook and Twitter) presence for the City as a whole and City Depts to get immediate messages out to the public and promote interactive two-way communication.
3. Links to recordings of City Council and school board meetings on City website.
4. Print basic trash & neighborhood information in Spanish/English. Produce Spanish/English videos on the same info & run on gov. access channel.
6. Put your prime information in the areas with the most foot traffic — lobby of Utility Customer Service and Treasurer’s Office.
5. Open the multi-purpose room of each city school as community meeting places so that neighborhoods without community centers have a place to meet for clubs, neighborhoods watch, socializing for seniors, community projects, yard sales, etc.
7. Put on a round of city-sponsored circles like Lynchburg. https://www.lynchburgva.gov/index.aspx?page=4149
8. Encourage more city resident/business leader applications to Leadership Prince William in 2012 (Only one or two city people in current class).
9. More interns and volunteers to help each city dept. Have a day where high school students shadow each city council member/manager.
10. Give citizens incentives to engage — everyone who gets a dog license in December, their name goes in a hat for a gift certificate to shop in Old Town. Everyone who signs up for Operation Roundup to help those in need with their utilities, their name goes into a drawing for a credit on their utility bill. Start a city-wide campaign to rally people around one thing — neighborhood pride? history?
a flash-mob music video? Anything positive.
November 17, 2010 at 6:40 pm
And good use of YouTube to communicate:
Sumner Lake accepts their Neighborhood of the Year award, put on YouTube by a citizen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KWmV5ibUk0
November 17, 2010 at 11:14 pm
Ditto to what Cindy wrote 🙂
November 18, 2010 at 8:51 am
Thank you Cindy, those are some interesting ideas for the
council to consider.
November 18, 2010 at 11:12 pm
@Andy,
You asked:
“@David: you make an interesting point but I wonder. Doesn’t the turnout by the conservatives on their issues indicate that they don’t trust the Council to “get it right”?”
I think the turnout by the conservatives on their issues indicates not that they don’t trust Council to get it “right”, it’s that they don’t trust Council to get it “right enough”.
November 18, 2010 at 11:34 pm
@Steve,
I talk to quite a few folks around town (in the 30’s-40’s age range mostly) and NONE of them ever go to the City web site, nor do they read the newsletters that come in their utility bill. I just don’t think either are effective at actual outreach. And the City cable channel? I’m the ONLY one in my circle that even knew it existed.
I was thinking the other day if there could be a way to gauge readership of the newsletters. Perhaps a one-time credit of $5 off your utility bill by calling some special number and giving a code published only in an article in the newsletter along with your utility bill account number. I was initially thinking $1, but a lot of folks I suspect wouldn’t bother to call for only $1, whereas $5 is a Starbuck’s or two. I’m betting the City wouldn’t pay out much. There are what, about 15,000 utility bills that go out each month now? And how much does it cost to generate, print, and stuff those newsletters? Just a shot in the dark, but I bet the amount the City would pay out in a 1 time $5 credit to people who call in would actually cost LESS than mailing out the 60,000 some newsletters a year, which would show how little reach the newsletters actually have.
I like Cindy’s e-newsletter idea. That’s got to cost less in the long run and could contain far more timely information and be more likely to be read. I would limit it to 2 pages max though, but increase the frequency to monthly.
I’ve mentioned a couple times and not seen it go anywhere, but I’ll mention it again. There are e-citizen applications for practically all smartphone platforms (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, etc.). There was one in particular that let you take a picture of an “issue” and immediately email it to your City government. BUT, it requires the City to actively participate, it isn’t something I or Cindy or anyone as a citizen can setup. The City would have to set it up and get registered in the app, then ANYONE with a smartphone that has the app (City citizen or not) can see something (traffic light out, cracked sidewalk, questionable sign, a “SOB”, whatever), click a photo, and the app knowing where you are by GPS or cell tower location sends the “issue” to the right government for action. Worth checking into for improving quality of life and creating a direct feedback loop from citizens.
November 18, 2010 at 11:44 pm
@Raymond,
Love your idea about the school board study. If there’s a way to get our “local” university to do something like such a study, that would be awesome.
As for your comment about the FRC, if you still have my email address from back when the ordinance was being batted about, drop me a line. I’d like to hear your thoughts since you seem not happy with how things are progressing there, maybe over a cup o’ joe some day?
November 19, 2010 at 11:15 am
To get your message out, you have to use many outlets – even though not everyone reads the newsletter or checks the city website or watches the cable access channel, you are hitting segments that do.
I’d like to see the city increase the segments they hit through e-news and social media. There’s also secondary audiences – HOA newsletters and websites that can repeat the message if it’s given to them in a form they can use, and e-news is a lot easier to pick up and repeat.
There’s the wider audience, also – regional and national magazines, industry websites. How do other cities of similar size communicate with their audiences? Why isn’t Manassas, after 10 state and national neighborhood awards, being featured in a regional or national magazine? Why aren’t we a destination for filmmakers?
I’d like to see the City use video more, like you did Andy in your Manassas Next campaign. It’s not hard these days — look at the video from the neighborhood conference a citizen posted on YouTube.
I’d like to see the city form a communications committee – volunteers with the expertise to look at the quality of the messages the city’s sending out and who can advise them to target the message and its delivery better. Much like the Prince William Chamber’s MAPS committee (marketing, advertising and public relations).
I think there are many simple ways you can use your current resources to communicate more, not less, but communicate smarter.
Finally, do not underestimate the power of throwing burgers on a grill and having an informal block party to get to know your neighbors and get information out. I know when my neighbor Gary rakes his leaves to the curb, it’s time for me to rake my leaves to the curb. Sometimes it’s as simple as that.
November 20, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Andy,
You and the rest of the council can only do so much to get Citizens to show up at meetings. It’s possible the changing demographics have something to do with. Or, the fact people seem to be busier these days. Maybe some feel even if they do speak it won’t make a difference.
February 7, 2012 at 6:15 pm
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