In this post, I presented possibilities of generating better levels of understanding about local issues. Such as LRT. As I promised I'd take a closer look, here I am. Taking a closer look.
1) Personal civic awareness blogs. This is where it all starts. Someone writing about what's going on in their world, on their street, in their neighbourhood, in their community...in their city. Courtesy of the likes of the Jellys, the Gauthiers, even Mark Allan Whittle.
2) Community civic activism blogs. Raise the Hammer. The Hamiltonian. CATCH. SkyscraperPage. Neighbourhood Association blogs. Anywhere that offers the opportunity for people to 'gather' and get better informed, exchange ideas (and insults), expand their horizons.
3) Councillor blogs/web sites. Unfortunately, even the best of our local Councillors don't get it. It seems as if weariness quickly sets in and sites aren't updated, posts are left up well past their use-by dates, and general indifference rules the day. Even worse, of course, are those Councillors who don't even have a site.
4) Video explorations of the city. Hamiltonians are woefully unaware/ignorant of their city, its history, why it is the way it is and what might be required to effect the changes necessary. This shouldn't be surprising in a municipality where less than 40% of eligible voters exercise their franchise, and 60% of these vote according to 'name recognition'. It's long been my belief that an online video resource could help in this cause. Something I've envisioned as a hybrid TED lectures/The Toronto Star's Christopher Hume's vignettes idea. It would deal with local hIt's not a cure-all, but I believe it has a part to play in the overall effort.
5) Salons and seminars. These are the organic progressions of the conversations traditionally had in cafés and on piazzas. Salons are the more informal of the two, a chance for discussions to take place amongst a small group of people, where there may not even be an agenda, and it's more a simple exchange of concerns, of ideas, where problems and dilemmas can be examined in a low-key setting. Sponsored evenings where a topic is actually discussed between people. Ideas are thrown around. Maybe a guest from a neighbourhood association attends. Maybe a former candidate from an election. Maybe someone from City Hall staff. And from different parts of the city in different parts of the city. These could be co-hosted/co-sponsored by say, the Hamilton Public Library. Seminars are structured sessions where actual subjects are 'taught'. Primers. Because so many Hamiltonians are sorely lacking the background information required to properly appreciate the full context of our challenges. Part of this could be a series of connected evenings: 'An Evening With...' focusing on one aspect of urban life, with special guests, a riff on 'The Actors' Studio', where an interview and question period with the audience unfolds. This could also be done in webinar form.
6) Town hall meetings. Even though we have no real tradition of them in the area...at least not that I'm aware of...they're such a foundational aspect of democracy that I'm kinda stunned they've not been part of our experiences. And yet, I'm not surprised at all. Few politicians do well in an arena such as a town hall meeting. And there's so much 'at risk' in this modern world. A slip-up, a badly-crafted answer and who knows where it'll end. So? Tough. We need this kind of contact with our leaders. We need to be in the same room with them on a regular basis. We need to be breathing the same air, taking part in the same conversations. Now, I'm not saying that things will go smoothly at first. Or even for the first while. Few of us are good at engaging like this, few of us have experience asking questions, searching out answers, being patient, being gracious. So it means that it'll be a learning experience for all.
I see Councillors doing town hall meetings in their wards. I see the Mayor doing them across the city. And I see all this happening regularly. Oh, and to add a 'thoroughly modern touch': I see these events being streamed live, online, as well as being available afterwards for viewing.
(A brief aside: I see massive resistance from our elected officials over this. "We don't have the time!" Probably not. Not as things are currently designed. But that's not a good enough reason not to change things. What it all really means is redefining both their jobs...and ours.)
Allow me to step up onto my soapbox for a minute.
Democracy isn't just about voting. (Thank God; we currently average about a 40% turnout rate at election time, and it's generally acknowledged that 60% of the votes cast are done so according to 'name recognition' That means that on a local level, our 'democracy' certifiably sucks.) And freedom isn't earned and honoured just by fighting for it, it's also done so by acts of engagement in regular day-to-day living. It's a shame we've created a society where our local governance is seasoned with so much cynicism, with so much distrust. (When we have a popular CHML broadcaster calling for everyone to 'vote for anyone but the incumbents!', then you know we've come to a very, very bad place indeed.)
I know that there will always be a chunk of the populace who will never be very involved. But I still see it being possible to get 75% of our electorate out to vote. I still see it being possible to have these people voting according to informed decisions, the result of qualified opinions. And I see people regarding their governance in an entirely different way. If we can change the landscape.
If we can 'increase the relationship of engagement between residents and their Councillors.'
