Homer Alaska - Opinion

Effective public participation builds trust, respect, shared knowledge, understanding and collaboration between a government and the citizens it serves. Poor public participation builds distrust, disrespect, entrenchment of ideas, divisiveness, alienation and misunderstanding between them.

Let me repeat, public participation is not "window dressing." Bureaucrats and planners who act as if it is: (a) disrespect the citizens they serve, (b) betray their responsibilities to the community, (c) deprive themselves of the vast reservoir of knowledge, experience, and wisdom that the public can offer, and (d) cost the city more money, time, credibility, good will and energy than can be calculated.

Here are a few comments about the "public participation" that accompanied this Comprehensive Plan:

(1) Working with a small, select Citizens' Advisory Committee is just a small element of meaningful public participation.

(2) Holding "open houses" is recognized as one of the least effective tools for building public awareness and soliciting public input.

(3) No matter how many times it's done, putting a notice in the newspaper that the Comprehensive Plan is on the agenda of a city council or planning commission meeting does not constitute public participation.

(4) Failing to follow up on, or to document, citizen input reflects a stunning disregard for public participation.

(5) If a number of upset citizens show up at "the 11th hour," that's a sure sign that something went wrong with the public participation process.

I say these things to encourage the city council, the city manager, the planning commission, and the planning director to recognize how much we all benefit from good public participation. I say these things to encourage them to put public participation at the heart of everything they do in serving the community we love and share.

Devony Lehner has been involved with the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District since the late 1980s. She conducted the public participation process for the 7-year Kenai River Cooperative River Basin study led by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.