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Many Ways to Include Stakeholders

Bravo to First Selectman Matt Hoey for his comments regarding the disc golf proposal. My support for disc golf aside, my larger concern is the process followed by the Parks & Recreation Commission, because Mr. Hoey’s comments about inclusion apply to all commissions and boards. The March 8 article “Reworking the Peddlers Park Disc Golf Proposal” reports that the Parks & Recreation Commission claims to have followed all rules and regulations and was frustrated by last-minute opposition to the near final plan. As Mr. Hoey notes, it’s not enough for a commission to follow rules and guidelines. Town governance is based on building relationships to cultivate input and develop support. That means reaching out to residents rather than expecting them to come to you.

A formal requirement might be met by posting commission meetings in the buried, fine-print of a paper’s public notice section, but that fails to meet the spirit of the requirement that all stakeholders be invited to contribute to planning and decision-making. Commissions and boards should routinely publish full-length articles about the issues before them that include background and arguments for and against the issues at hand. When appropriate, these articles should prominently announce the details of public meetings where public input is required.

Commissions and boards should go the next step and mail invitations to key stakeholders, such as the residents of an affected neighborhood or to the leaders of affected community groups. Summaries of the written and oral responses might be presented in the newspaper, but all comments should be housed on a town Facebook page or website that is maintained daily and solicits further comment. In summary, commissions need not be blindsided by last minute resistance, when there are many ways to include all stakeholders early and often.

Larry Rizzolo

Guilford