What if we were to create a portal for members of the community to interact with one another and to get in touch with elected officials and community leaders. Something around those lines. We need to create transparent lines of communication to walk the community through the decisions being made on their behalf.
Going forward I want to apply lessons I have learned from stuff like Dane County Neighbors to community issues. The Connect Madison Initiative which in some ways led to DCNHN was a thought experiment, trying to work through the issues of making the public a more active participant in the process of governing.
I think a key reason that people are feeling so apathetic about the governance of the county is that many people don't feel like anything will change no matter what they say. This needs to change. There is a sense that minds are already made up in the government. The processes are so complicated they can feel a bit like Kabuki theatre.
I think we can change this and if we are to fix the big issues facing our communities, everyone needs to have a seat at the table in formulating and executing solutions.
Just my two cents,
Paulo