Policy Consensus E-News — February 2004
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PCI /NPCC Board Elects Two Former Governors as Co-Chairs
 Governor Geringer |
 Governor Kitzhaber |
The governing board of the Policy Consensus Initiative and National Policy Consensus Center has elected former Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer to Co-Chair the organization with former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber.
Kitzhaber has served as Chair for the past two years, while Governor Geringer is a new addition to the Board. Geringer was elected Wyoming's 30th governor in 1994 and completed his second term in January 2003. During his tenure in office, Geringer focused on improving education; modernizing economic planning; and changing how natural resource agencies among state, federal, and local governments work together. He also implemented strategic planning around performance based budgeting; emphasized community-based solutions—particularly for health and social service; and promoted the use of consensus building to resolve difficult issues facing the state.
Ohio Representative Merle Kearns will continue to serve as PCI / NPCC Vice Chair. Diane Kenty, Director of Court ADR Programs in Maine , continues as Secretary-Treasurer.
CASE
STUDY: Ohio Commission Assists
Local Governments to Resolve Disputes
In June 2002, the Northeast Ohio Area-wide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) contacted the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management (the Commission) about a dispute between a city and a township over competing land use development plans and related water and sewer issues.
To assist them in resolving the dispute, the Commission referred a mediator to the parties, who agreed to try mediation. Pittsfield Township Clerk Jim McConnell credits the mediator with getting him and Oberlin City Manager Rob DiSpirito to come to the table. "The mediator helped us acknowledge common ground, and to consider changes we had not previously thought about," he said.
The NOACA case is one example of how disputes in Ohio could be successfully negotiated as part of the Local Government Initiative , a Commission-sponsored program offering conflict resolution services to local government officials. The program— launched by the Commission in 1991 with a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation—is a joint effort of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, the Ohio Township Association, and the Ohio Municipal League. Over the years, more than 195 local officials have been trained through the program.
Federal Agencies Building Capacity for
Partnerships & Collaborative Action
A U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) team is working to develop competencies, training, mentoring, coaching, recruitment, hiring and retention, and rewards and advancement strategies for staff members who engage in partnerships and collaboration. Two bureaus within the DOI – The Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service – have established partnership coordinators and extensive websites.
This increasing attention to collaborative problem solving by federal land management agencies may be of particular interest to states interested in improving staff capacity to engage communities in collaborative problem solving. A number of useful on-line trainings, presentations, manuals, and lessons learned are available through these agencies.
Correction:
New York AG Eliot Spitzer Still on the Job!
The January issue of E-News incorrectly referred to Eliot Spitzer as ‘former' New York State Attorney General. In fact, Mr. Spitzer became the state's 63rd Attorney General on January 1, 1999, and still holds the position today!
Getting the Most Out of Consensus Processes
PCI's
unique Trainer's Manual, designed as a "workshop for public officials," provides
essential information for any individual, agency or organization who
participates in a collaborative process. The workshop is presented in
eight modules that cover best practices in collaborative or consensus
building process. The material builds on the Society of Professionals
in Dispute Resolution (SPIDR) Report, Best Practices for Government
Agencies: Guidelines for Using Agreement-Seeking Processes.
While all the modules can be used in a single training, workshop sponsors may also decide (depending on their audience and the amount of time available) which ones to use. The material is presented in a 3-ring binder so workshop leaders can insert their own materials, change the order of the exercises, or remove those they don't plan to use. At minimum, if all the modules are used, the workshop takes about six hours. With the use of panels and more time for small group interaction, the workshop can be between seven and eight hours.
The Manual is available individually for $60, or can be purchased as part of a $75 package that also includes PCI's Practical Guide to Consensus (a 75-page "how-to" book) and two training videos featuring successful consensus processes in Oregon and Maryland.
Read more about the Trainer's Manual
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