Steering the conversation

Another “duel-hat” post

What strikes me about the process being used to develop the District Wide Master Plan are the similarities to Public Issues Forums. In several respects, the role of the DWMP steering committee corresponds to that of a task force for an issues forum.

The most important thing about putting together a PIF task force is getting all the stakeholders to the table. This accomplishes two things. Because the various stakeholders are likely to have different connections in the larger community, they are individually well-positioned to encourage community participation.

Just as importantly, having the right people at the table helps to ensure that every perspective of the issue is considered. If an issue has been well-framed, acknowledging the consequences and trade-offs associated with each potential course of action, then the public will be able to make informed choices. Deciding what should be done about an issue is not the task force’s responsibility.

Likewise, the steering committee’s role will be primarily two-fold: to encourage community participation, and to provide the tools to help the community make an informed decision; that is, to “steer” the community conversation (or at least help it to stay on track).

At the conclusion of public deliberation at a forum, the moderators – who are often members of the task force – help participants identify areas of common ground, or the lack thereof. The task of the DWMP steering committee will be somewhat different, in that their job will not be complete until that common ground is reached and identified.