2011 American Democracy Project National Meeting Orlando, Florida June 3, 2011

1. 2011 American Democracy Project National MeetingOrlando, FloridaJune 3, 2011 Strengthening Local Democracy Through Civic Engagement: Active Citizenship in Eau Claire, Wisconsin Mike Huggins, ICMA-CM, Eau Claire City Manager Tom McCarty, ICMA-CM, Eau Claire County Administrator Donald Mowry, PhD, Director, Center for Service-LearningUniversity of Wisconsin – Eau Claire

2. Local Governance Crisis • Wicked problems • Lack of political will • Formal government models • Declining civic problem solving

3. Lack of Political Will The structural inability to generate timely and responsive policy decisions • Fragmented political and institutional decision-making • Diminished citizen problem-solving skills • Lack of public space

5. Formal Government Models Elected Boards, Councils and Committees Problem/Analysis/Solutions formally reviewed through public hearings, public input sessions, etc. Elected officials determine solution

6. Declining Civic Problem-Solving • Fragmented institutional decision-making • Citizens’ loss of effective problem-solving skills • Limited public space opportunities • Mystique of professional expertise • Formal citizenship paradigm

7. Stuck? Try Public Work!

8. Clear Vision Eau Claire • 2007 citizen visioning initiative • $40,000 jointly funded • Facilitated by National Civic League • Partner—Center for Democracy and Citizenship • 6 performance goals/125 priority actions • Civic engagement as core strategy • Civic organizing framework

9. Citizen-led community visioning in 2007 $40,000 jointly funding by 10 organizations Facilitated by Derek Okubo, Nat. Civic League 200 stakeholders/125 strategic actions Civic engagement as key performance area Partnered w/ Center for Democracy and Citizenship to develop civic training Embedding Collaboration: the Clear Vision Project

10. Clear Vision Facilitation • Center for Democracy and Citizenship • UW-Eau Claire Strategic Planner • National Civic League • Local “train the trainers”

11. Clear Vision Strategies • Public Work 101 Training (8 hrs) • Relational organizing concepts and practices • Issue-based civic work groups • Jobs for underemployed • Treatment instead of prison • Public park funding • Collaborative education • Performing arts facilities • Regional transit

12. Civic Organizing • A framework for integrating active citizenship into everyday environments to solve public problems and build the broad civic base necessary to govern effectively in a democracy “. . . democracy as a way of life is controlled by personal faith in personal day-by-day working together with others.” -John Dewey

13. Civic Engagement Clear Vision Action Report July 2008 Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern: • Naming and solving problems • Discussing and choosing alternatives • Making trade-offs “Effective and enduring civic engagement in the Greater Eau Claire Community will require that citizens learn and practice more effective problem-solving skills, and that community organizations and institutions create more opportunities and public spaces for active citizenship.”

14. Key Characteristics • Emphasizes conceptual/reflective thinking • Redefines core civic concepts • Teaches civic problem-solving skills • Creates public spaces • Builds group process skills • Develops public leadership • Restructures mediating institutions • Builds civic agency

15. Core Civic Concepts • Power • Politics • Public Work • Public Life • Self Interest • Diversity • Mediating Institutions • Relationships • Free Spaces

16. Civic Problem Solving Skills • One-on-one interviews • Mapping power and interests • Values house meeting • Creating public spaces • Cutting Issues • Taking action • Public evaluation • Dynamic, iterative

17. One-to-One Interviews • Purpose is to build public relationships • Schedule interviews • Keep it informal • 20-30 minutes • No note-taking during interview • Ask direct, open-ended questions • 80/20 active listening • Look for interests, passions, connections

18. Values House Meeting • Facilitated public conversations about personal values and public life • Round robin responses: • What values and traditions are important to you? • What are the values and traditions of this community? • What are the forces endangering these values? • What can we do to strengthen our civic life

19. Power Mapping • Visual map of political environment • List who has power to influence • Map organizations and individuals • Do 1:1 interview to identify interests • Map power connections and relationships • Do 1:1 interviews to build public relationships

20. Public Evaluation • Debrief each meeting – 10 minutes • Assess progress of work • Prevent misunderstanding • Clarify roles and future tasks • One or two word responses • What worked? What didn’t? What could we do better? • Check areas of group tension

21. Evaluation—Do Something About It!

22. Civic Action Teams • 10-20 member work groups • Diverse membership • Shared self-interest in issue • Recruited to participate • Chair trained as coach • Action oriented – fixed duration • High-energy participation

23. 2009-2010 Eau Claire Teams • Jobs for underemployed • Treatment instead of incarceration • Public parks funding • Collaborative education • Community events facilities • Veterans re-entry • Regional Transit Authority

24. 2011 Eau Claire Teams • Fairfax Pool Funding • County Exposition Center Future • Community TV • Neighborhoods • Homeless Shelter • Immigrant Drivers License Cards

25. Findings “American citizenship in its most expansive sense is understood as public work: visible effort on common tasks of importance to the community or nation, involving many different people.” -Harry Boyte • Action oriented • Inexpensive • Adaptable • Reinforces facilitative role • Builds effective work groups • Creates public space for joint work • Strengthens community

26. Clear Vision Obstacles • Community marketing and outreach • Hacked Clear Vision web site • Leadership succession for Board of Directors (formerly Implementation Committee) • Balancing citizen and public official participation • Incorporation • Stable funding • Institutional Limitations

27. Civic Engagement Challenges • Diminished civic work skills of most citizens • Funding and ongoing administrative support • Few public spaces for civic conversations • Community silos • Continued fiscal and budgetary cutbacks • Integrating Civic Agency into citizenship preparation at all age levels

28. Change is Challenging, Threatening, and Exciting

29. Additional Information • www.publicachievement.org • Center for Democracy & Citizenship www.augsburg.edu/democracy/ • Harry Boyte, The Citizen Solution • Harry Boyte, Everyday Politics • FrancesMoore Lappe and Paul Martin DuBois, The Quickening of America • Carmen Sirianni, Investing in Democracy: Engaging Citizens in Collaborative Governance • Matt Leighninger, The Next Form of Democracy • ContactMike Huggins, City Manager, City of Eau Claire, 715-839-4902, mike.huggins@eauclairewi.govTom McCarty, Eau Claire County Administrator, 715-839-5106, jt.mccarty@co.eau-claire.wi.usDonald Mowry, Ph.D., Director, Center for Service-Learning, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 715-826-4649, dmowry@uwec.edu