HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-0816 Documents Submitted at Mtg
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8/16/16 - Nancy Parker
Re: Reflections from under the bus - Council Corner Daily Tidings, Michael Morris
For the record, nobody is throwing anybody under a bus.
Re Normal Neighborhood - A year ago, I was part of a Citizen Action Group
organized to address citizen concerns that had not been directly or indirectly
addressed by decision- makers.
While it's true that several "public" meetings were held, the public's actual input
had been highly restricted, both in terms of time allowed and real interactive
dialogue. Citizens were allowed just a few minutes to comment in hours-long
meetings and were prevented from asking questions directly of staff, council, and
developers. Later on in the process, 92 citizens showed up at the council meeting
last Sept. for the first reading. Most had to leave due to crowded chambers and were
led to a room where the closed-circuit television was non-functional. Unfortunately,
by this time the whole decision on the NNP was a done deal anyway. The point is,
there was never an occasion early in the process when the public had an open, wide-
ranging dialog with city staff and council.
I feel this morning's article kind of misses the point. We have a problem in Ashland
with the process under which controversial proposals are addressed and decided.
Part of that process seems to involve too much behind-the-scenes, informal
discussion by decision-makers to which the public is not privy. By the time an issue
surfaces in public awareness, sides have already been chosen, votes have been
aligned, and little meaningful discussion ensues. It's true that, when the public,
after banding together and presenting themselves in great numbers, expressed
their disapproval of the Normal Neighborhood Plan, their concerns were finally
heard and it did result in changes to the Master Plan. But it had been preceded by
months and months of stonewalling and resistance. The only council member who
actively and consistently listened to the concerns of our citizen action group was
Councilor Voisin.
Democracy's messy. Yes, we need to build consensus, but consensus that refuses to
consider all points of view is not true consensus; it is "group-think", where a
majority of decision-makers pre-agree on their stand, don't listen with open minds
to different points of view, and resist finding ways to accommodate those
perspectives.
During the founding of our country, Alexander Hamilton, writing to Thomas
Jefferson, expressed concern about the potential in any democratic body for a
"tyranny of the majority," by which was meant:
a scenario in which a majority places its own interests above those of a
minority, constituting active oppression comparable to that of a tyrant.
The danger of this occurring is real when there is a strong and consistent majority
within any democratic body, one that always votes for or against issues as a united
front, against a minority. This is why the question of "process" matters. Elected
officials must work hard to ensure openness and transparency in decision- making.
True, the public's obligation is to become informed, and elected officials must go the
extra mile to assist in that informational process. Then, when citizens express
concerns and ask to be heard, they should be listened to and heard before the issue
has been decided behind closed doors, even if it means it takes a little more time.
That listening must occur early enough in the process so that "group-think" can be
replaced by the collective wisdom arising from inclusion of all points of view. And
just because people disagree about something, and express that disagreement,
doesn't mean anybody's being thrown under the bus.
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@ Ashland City Council Regular Business Meeting August 16 ex"
Good Evening. My name " ae Helmic I live at 468 Williamson Way. I am one of the Chief
Petitioners for the 10 b 0 lni ere tonight to ask you to seriously consider
adopting the initiative without an election.
Circulators gathered more than 1700 signatures over possibly 2 months. It was not very
difficult.
While I was gathering signatures, I was able to survey attitudes about the City's level of
proactivity, if that's really a word, with regard to the Great Transition. As a measure of
receptivity, approximately 80% of qualified voters readily agreed to sign the petition. Informal
conversation with other circulators indicates the same receptivity.
The most frequent comments I received were (1) why only 10%? and (2) displeasure (edited
for our audience) at the perceived lack of true action to move us ahead into the new reality.
When we formulated the proposed ordinance, we did it with the knowledge that 10% would
not destabilize the system. A higher percentage could have. We were not in charge of the
system so we felt it was appropriate to ask for a meaningful increment but of a financial and
output size that was manageable--10% is.
Please provide the leadership we have entrusted to you. Just know that while we all support
the work, for example, of the ACE commission, it is perceived as kicking the can down the
road. Not fair perhaps, but a very real perception.
Once this ordinance is adopted (with or without your support) there be a lot of work:
Contractual with BPA and probably Pac Power; type and location of alternatives; financing or
partnerships decisions; etc. I am under no illusions, and I am certain you all are not either, this
will take commitment to accomplish.
On another point, financing this will likely never be less expensive. If interest rates go lower,
we probably have much bigger problems as a country but for now we should be capitalizing
on the low cost of funds.
2020 is close. If we start now with all the public participation and environmental issues that
will need resolution we get an additional few months to organize compared to waiting for
November 8's results. The Department can use all of that time to get this organized. You all
know how slow and methodical this must be. The Department will need to recruit talent to
manage this.
The ordinance was drafted to place the responsibility on the City to make all the decisions to
get to 10% by the deadline rather than tying its hands as to how to get there. The public is
expecting 10%. You figure it out. That will be your job.
So it would be a lot simpler if, in the words of an American hero, John Lewis, you would get
on the bus. Please adopt the initiative. Let's get started!
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