As I posted earlier, my #1 priority is Communication. My fundamental and guiding philosophy is communication and collaboration. As Stephen Covey wrote: "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."
The responsibility of municipal governments is to serve its residents, not the other way around. Administration and Council (“Town”) alike should be servants, not masters. While there are certainly some things the Town will or must do that may not please everyone, the guiding principle should always be what’s best for the taxpayers and residents - generally with a long-term and ‘big picture’ view.
In order to meet the needs of residents and deliver upon its responsibility, the Town needs to fully understand those needs. That, of course, requires communication and transparency between the Town and its residents. I believe we’ve seen improvements over the years in both communication and transparency, but I also believe there is still plenty of room for improvement.
What do I mean by ‘transparency’? My personal view is that Town decisions, documents and information should be publicly available, accessible and written so that they’re easily understandable by residents. Yes, there are some things the Town can’t disclose (e.g. personnel matters subject to privacy, confidential or proprietary information relating to vendors or suppliers), but there should be sound reasons for each of those. Background information about what the Town does and why should be available as well (e.g. briefing documents).
With communities increasingly relying upon social media and other electronic forms of communication, the Town needs to communicate with its residents using the medium of their choosing. The Town should take advantage of channels allowing it to better connect with residents - and social media is one of the best ways to do so. We can also have public forums, open houses or town hall meetings in person or from the comfort of our own homes (more likely in the short term). We only need to have the will to do so and make a plan to make it happen.
For those wishing to understand some of the best practices in communication and transparency, this is an excellent article: https://www.clearpointstrategy.com/increase-transparency-in-local-government/
BTW, I was pleased to receive an email from the Town a few weeks ago, notifying me that my questioning of how to access Development Appeals Board decisions has resulted in the Town posting decisions issued within the past 10 years on the Town’s website for public access. That’s a great step forward in transparency. Kudos to Town Administration. Hurrah!
As to communication and collaboration, this dovetails with transparency. We need to listen more and talk less. Listen to hear not just what residents say, but what they really mean. Listen to understand, not just to respond. Take concerns not as criticism, but as suggestions or hints on where and how to improve. Take the time to fully explore or explain, not just move on.
Your thoughts? Comments? Let me know.
Comments