[Vision2020] Citizens' passion spent on molehills of public policy--The Oregonian

[Debbie Gray]

I read this earlier in the week and thought it sounded
all too familiar to many small towns, including our
own.
Debbie Gray

Citizens' passion spent on molehills of public policy
Leadership - Analysts say big issues, rather than
lamppost colors, need more debate Sunday, August 13,
2006 ERIC MORTENSON 
The Oregonian

SHERWOOD -- The Sherwood City Council and a riled-up
citizenry anguished for three months over whether the
Old Town streetlamps should be blue or black, while
crucial water and land-use issues facing the
fast-growing town generated very little debate.

So it goes across Oregon. Whether because of civic
disgust or disconnect, local governments and the
public they serve are increasingly locked up over
little things, while big issues sit unaddressed or
slip by unnoticed.

In Albany, the public snoozed through discussion of
the biggest public works project in the town's
history, a $32 million water treatment plant, but came
unglued about whether to license cats.

In Troutdale, city councilors backpedaled from
supporting a $15 million urban renewal plan after
critics assailed a belated revelation that the
proposal would increase property taxes -- by $7 a
year.

"It happens all the time," said Sandy City Manager
Scott Lazenby. "You'll have a $20 million expansion of
a water plant that's very complicated, and eyes glaze
over. But hit the riding mower for park maintenance,
and suddenly you have six opinions of what's the best
kind of mower."

It's about leadership

A number of explanations are offered: People elected
to public office often are accustomed to dealing with
much smaller dollar figures and project sizes. They
may gravitate to what is familiar, said Steve Bryant,
retired Albany city manager.

In the Albany water plant case, it didn't help that
the news media showed far more interest in covering
the cat licensing flap, Bryant said. "We did get
coverage, but letters to the editor were 10-to-1 cats
versus water treatment plant."

It's the job of community leaders to get the public
refocused on the bigger issues, he said. Leaders
should set annual goals, establish an agenda of the
key issues and patiently steer discussion back to the
big stuff when little issues hijack attention.

Those leaders must frankly tell the public that water
supply and farmland preservation are more important
than the color of lampposts, said Adam Davis, of the
Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall public policy and research
firm in Portland.

Davis says he believes a majority recognizes there are
far more important issues than cat licensing and
lamppost colors, but for several reasons those folks
don't speak up. First is a decreasing understanding of
how the system works, the "ABCs of government."
There's also widespread anger at the lack of
leadership. "This negativity toward government and
politicians is the highest we've seen it in 30 years,"
he said.

Then there's the public involvement process itself.
Davis said government still mostly depends on the
traditional, formal system of night hearings and
meetings. Government bodies should take greater
advantage of the Internet and other means to reach,
educate and involve people, he said.

"You have to go to the people to educate them, and go
to the people to find out how they feel about things
-- rather than sit around in some administration
building waiting for people to show up," he said.

Citizens drive agendas

Elected officials and professional staff might get
distracted from larger issues if even a handful of
people show up at otherwise sparsely attended
meetings, said Ethan Seltzer, director of the School
of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State
University. "It doesn't take a lot of people to make
it feel like you have to respond to them," he said.

The lack of broader interest may be because
jurisdictional divisions, so crucial to city councils,
county commissions and school boards, are not
important to the people living, working and traveling
within them, Seltzer said.

"I suspect very few people live, work, shop and
recreate within the same boundaries," he said. "Where
they sleep isn't necessarily what matters to them."

Besides that, citizen participation at meetings and
public hearings must compete with all the other chores
and pleasures that fill people's lives, Seltzer said.

Seltzer isn't completely opposed to sweating the small
stuff, however.

"If local government can't take up lampposts, barking
dogs and what species of shrub to plant in the public
plaza, where else do they get taken up?" he asked.

And the citizen railing about blue lampposts today
might be engaged in the crucial land use planning
process tomorrow, he said.

"It's important to not ridicule or shortchange the
involvement people do have," he said.

Lazenby, the Sandy city manager, agreed officials
shouldn't discount the public's interest.

"We're merrily going along, making the public's
decisions," he said. "But if the public is interested,
we have to say 'Fair enough.' When it gets down to the
color of the lamppost, sure, let the public decide."

Sherwood Mayor Keith Mays, who weathered the lamppost
issue, recalled that his first involvement in local
government came when the town's planning commission
held a hearing on an application to build a movie
theater. He favored the theater opening, so attended
the hearing and wound up testifying. That experience
eventually led to him serve on the planning
commission, run for the council and later win election
as mayor.

The recent controversy wouldn't have erupted if it had
involved sewer pipes instead of lampposts, he said.

"In this case, it was out in front of their eyes and
they could react one way or the other," he said. "But
you'll never hear me complain about getting those kind
of calls -- it's great, more power to them."

Eric Mortenson; 503-294-5917;
ericmortenson at news.oregonian.com

©2006 The Oregonian


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