Policy Consensus E-News — June 2006
If you are unable to properly view this email, please click here.
In this issue:
- Governor Minner and Senator Gard Join PCI Board
- Utah Uses ADR for Eminent Domain Issues
- PCI Videos Now on DVD
- National Conference on Dialogue and Deliberation
Governor Ruth Ann Minner Named PCI Co-Chair
Delaware
Governor Ruth Ann Minner has been named Co-Chair of the Policy Consensus
Initiative. PCI Co-Chair and former Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer welcomed
Governor Minner to the Board and said, “Her commitment to public
service and developing consensus to achieve good public policy will be
of great value to PCI. I look forward to working with her as Co Chair of
this organization.”
“I'm delighted to be joining PCI’s Board of Directors," said Governor Minner. "I think this organization can be of great assistance to leaders who are trying to work as problem solvers across partisan lines to address the difficult issues we face as a society."
Indiana Senator Beverly Gard Named to PCI Board
Senator
Beverly Gard, Indiana State Senator since 1988, has been named to the PCI
Board. Senator Gard has chaired the Senate Energy and Environment Committee
since 1999. In addition to serving on a number of other committees and
subcommittees, she chairs the Indiana Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental
Relations. The Commission’s purpose is to create effective communication,
cooperation, and partnerships between the federal, state, and local units
of government to improve the delivery of services to the citizens of Indiana.
Senator Gard is also an active member of the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Council of State Governments Midwest, two of PCI’s partners in assisting legislators to develop skills to act as conveners who engage citizens from all sectors in working to find solutions. Senator Gard said, “This new role for public leaders holds great promise for assisting them in involving citizens in meaningful ways to address the issues in their schools, neighborhoods, and communities. “
Utah Ombudsman Mediates Eminent Domain Issues
Since
last June’s US Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. City of New
London, many states have been debating how to handle eminent domain
issues. Utah already has a mechanism for handling them – a private
property ombudsman, the first such position in the country.
In 1997, a law was passed creating the position and locating it in the Utah Department of Natural Resources. Eminent domain was one of the areas of responsibility for the Property Rights Ombudsman. In 2004 a bill mandating mediation, disclosures, and other fair practices was enacted in Utah. The measure passed unanimously in both houses and has become the model for national reforms. Last year the Utah legislature expanded the ombudsman’s duties to include all land use disputes between property owners and governments, including planning and zoning.
Now Available on DVD:
Videos on Transportation & Human Services Consensus Processes
PCI
has converted two videos to a single DVD. One is Building
Consensus: Transportation Rulemaking in Oregon, a 14 minute guide
to the principles and steps for carrying out a consensus-based decision
making process. It documents how one state resolved a complex issue around
transportation and development interests and features key stakeholders,
along with the mediator and the governor and director of transportation
who sponsored the process.
The second is State-Local Negotiations to Improve Human Service Systems in Maryland, a 17 minute production that features different levels of government working together to reform human services and include interviews with key stakeholders.
The DVD is designed to be used in conjunction with the Trainer’s Manual, Getting the Most Out of Consensus Processes, and the accompanying Practical Guide to Consensus. The DVD is $15 including shipping and handling. The Practical Guide is $15 and the Trainers Manual is $60. The whole package is available for a discounted rate of $75 plus shipping and may be ordered on-line.
2006 National Conference on Dialogue and Deliberation
The
2006 National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation will take place
August 4-6, 2006 in downtown San Francisco, California.
The plenary sessions will borrow principles and practices from a variety of dialogue and deliberation methods. Among other approaches, they will borrow from Appreciative Inquiry, Future Search, 21st Century Town Meeting, World Café, and Inquiry Circle. This strategy will help conference participants learn about numerous models while gaining insight into organizing multi-process programs.
The opening panel will include:
- John Gastil, professor and researcher at the University of Washington’s Department of Communication and Co-Editor of the recently-published “Deliberative Democracy Handbook.”
- William Isaacs, author of “Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together,” Founder of Dialogos, and Co-Founder (with Peter Senge) of the Center for Organizational Learning at MIT.
- Leanne Nurse, Program Analyst at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the leading federal agency in public participation.
Registration is $300 until June 26 and $450 thereafter. For more info, visit thataway.org.
Share PolicyConsenus E-News with your leaders and colleagues by forwarding this edition to them. Or, direct them to www.policyconsensus.org, where they can sign up to receive it in their own e-mail inbox!