As leaders in our community, we have an opportunity to present new ideas to increase our impact while helping to reduce inefficiency. The design and implementation of programs which engage our community members directly in the work of change can be accomplished by moving from a top-down approach to that of an inclusive approach with government, businesses, peers, and citizens. Being included and contributing meaningfully is an important civic and social activity.
We live in a geographically and socially diverse Township. To best represent these differences, we need to understand what is meaningful and important to our communities. By including communities in discussions, idea sharing and information gathering we can make more informed decisions because we are able to understand issues and the impacts of decisions that we are making. Moving from reactive problem solving to co-creating our future fosters long term value creation.
Communication, Connection, and Involvement can help to build trust and form a healthy democracy.
I do not understand why there would be concern in listening to the voices of our constituents when they either bring forward concerns or want to become involved in providing ideas and feedback that can help bring improvement and innovation to our Township. Far too often I have heard the term “Special Interest Group” used in a negative connotation. The fact that we have citizens that are interested should be seen as positive and community voices should be welcomed.
We are living in a time when democracy is under threat – I recently attended the Association of Municipalities Ontario conference in which I learned that the association has committed 1 million dollars toward programs to re-build healthy democracy in Municipal governments. It is recognized at the grass roots level, here in Ontario, we have a problem. Engagement in voting in Municipal elections has been in steady decline. Women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ among others are not making strides in becoming involved in local politics and municipal governments are not experiencing successful attraction of these potential candidates. Social media has become a toxic playground for keyboard warriors to discredit, divide and deride local politicians and candidates. This activity is both disheartening and dangerous as it creates disinformation and discourse. It polarizes people and communities and has the potential to foment hate.
So then why community consultation? By listening to each other we can build trust, by understanding and executing on deliverables we can measure and celebrate success. By looking to involve community members with different viewpoints, experience, and diverse backgrounds we can build greater engagement and participation in a healthy democratic process. To cite concerns that special interest groups or so-called splinter groups are alarmist and short sighted. Our future is shaped through ideas, dialogue and action and everyone has a part to play.