Policy Consensus E-News — March 2007

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New Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State University

Colorado State University has joined the “Deliberative Democracy Movement" with the founding of its Center for Public Deliberation, housed within CSU’s Department of Communication. The Center, founded and directed by CSU speech professor Martin Carcasson in August 2006, aims to involve citizens of Northern Colorado in public decision-making. Its three main goals are to:

1. Enhance the Local Civic Culture
2. Expand Collaborative Decision-Making
3. Improve Civic Pedagogy

The Center’s advisory board includes both community and CSU leaders.  In addition, CSU undergraduate students work within the center, studying deliberative theory while at the same time working on local projects and public forums, such as a series of meetings for school districts working on grade configuration.  In March, the Center held a town hall meeting with Northern Colorado state legislators

In his article in The Coloradon, Carcasson explained the impetus for the Center as a frustration “with the cynicism, polarization and negativity tied to our political system and how people subsequently talk about political issues. The gap between what I teach in my classes about public debate and discussion and what my students experience, especially during campaigns, is far too wide.”

The Center recently hosted its Kickoff Event and First Annual Community Issues Forum.  135 citizens participated and generated a list of issues important to them, from local issues such as Northern Colorado future development and growth to broader issues like immigration, that will help set the Center’s agenda.

Carcasson will join Susan Sherry, director of Sacramento State’s Center for Collaborative Policy, and Rob McDaniel, co-director of the William D. Ruckelshaus Center at WSU/UW, in a panel, “Evolving Models for University Centers: Three Examples,” at a workshop for university centers co-hosted by PCI and the William D. Ruckelshaus Center in April. (See more information on the workshop below.)

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Case Study: Arkansas Non Profit Sponsors Broad Engagement Process to Address the Need for Affordable Energy

Arkansas has a high rate of poverty, and many residents cannot afford to pay their utility bills.  Unlike many states, Arkansas does not supplement federal funds that assist one-third of those eligible for relief with state funds.  To address the problem, the Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association (ACAAA) formed a Steering Committee of stakeholders.  Stakeholders included utility providers, social service agencies, Public Service Commission staff, and ACAAA staff.

In April 2006, the Steering Committee convened the first Low-Income Energy Forum, which was designed to educate both stakeholders and the public about the nature and extent of the problem and to explore models from other states.

Over 100 people attended the first Forum, including leaders from utility companies, state agencies, social service providers, and faith-based organizations.  Nationally known speakers included representatives of the gas and electric industry, low-income consumer advocates, and the statewide fuel fund of Michigan.  The Forum was held in conjunction with a meeting of the legislature’s Joint Energy Committee, where some Forum participants gave testimony.

A second forum was held in August 2006 to engage participants in brainstorming solutions. 80 attendees participated in developing plans to address the three priorities identified through the forum: formation of a statewide fuel fund; expansion of a sales tax exemption for utility services; and expansion of the state’s federally-funded weatherization energy efficiency program.

Work groups were subsequently formed to address each of the priorities. The workgroup to develop the statewide fuel fund formed an organization, the Arkansas Energy Network (AEN), which has incorporated and will soon be able to receive public funds and private donations.  A bill was filed to provide a portion of start-up funds to assist AEN in coordinating and administering utility company fuel funds and churches’ utility assistance programs.

Members of the weatherization work group have been actively involved in both a legislative initiative and the Public Service Commission’s collaborative process to expand weatherization services. Work on expanding the sales tax exemption has been delayed while attention focuses on achieving the other priorities.

For more information about this case, contact Rose Adams of ACAAA at radams@acaaa.org or (501) 372-0807.

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The Leadership Challenge: Reaching Consensus in the Legislature

The State Legislative Leaders Foundation and Policy Consensus Initiative recently held a workshop for leaders from 20 states in New Orleans. In the opening session, leaders were asked what issues keep them up at night. The same issues arose several times: taxation, education and school funding, and health care. Next to the inherent complexity of these issues, the major problem to overcome in resolving them is reaching a productive consensus among competing interests and points of view. Techniques and strategies for building this kind of consensus were the subject of the workshop.

Roger Moe, former Senate Majority Leader, Minnesota and PCI Board member, led a session on the legislative power to convene and offered various strategies for being an effective convener. He said, “Being a good convener is good politics. While it’s easy to divide people, the challenge is to bring people together.” Moe observed that “your legacy as a legislator is not going to be grounded in any one issue, but rather in your relationships, your demeanor, your leadership style – you as a person.”

NCSL and PCI also sponsored similar programs for legislatures in Texas and Maine earlier this year.  Members of the Texas Legislature explored ways to collaborate during a workshop on “A New Texas: How to Harness the Power of Collaboration,” co-sponsored by The Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution at the University of Texas Law School.   “As the legislature moves past a challenging speaker’s race, the concepts of collaboration from this training can help us all find common ground,” stated Jan Summer, Executive Director of the Center and PCI Board member.

In Maine, the theme of the workshop was “Beyond Bickering: Tools for Collaboration in Legislative and Community Settings.” It was co-sponsored by Maine Solutions, a new program at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension whose mission is address community-based issues through sustainable solutions that support social, economic, environmental, and community objectives. These solutions are built through the collaborative efforts of businesses, government, and non-profit organizations.

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Register for PCI's Workshops for University Centers in April and June

East Coast

PCI will hold a workshop for university centers and other state programs, June 6th and June 7th at the Florida Atlantic University’s Jupiter campus in West Palm Beach, Florida.  PCI’s workshop will begin at 8:30 AM Wednesday, June 6th and continue Thursday, June 7th from 8:30 AMto 12:00noon.

The workshop precedes the Association for Conflict Resolution’s Environment and Public Policy Sector Conference, which begins Thursday afternoon, June 7th, and ends Saturday, June 9th. 

The Florida workshop is being co-sponsored by the Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium, based at Florida State University, and the Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions at Florida Atlantic University.

There will be a mix of plenary and concurrent sessions and roundtable discussions on the following topics:

• A comparison of three different institutional models for university centers
• Developments in the field - deliberative democracy to collaborative governance
• Lessons about working with public leaders, assisting them to serve as conveners
• Emerging issues around universities as neutral forums

There will also be sessions on certificate programs; research; and other topics. And there will be time to pursue topics of mutual interest with colleagues from university centers around the east.

Watch PCI's April E-News for more information on the workshop.

Last Call to Register for PCI’s Workshop in Seattle

PCI’s workshop is April 26th and 27th in Seattle.  The meeting will begin at 8:30 AM on Thursday, April 26th and continue Friday, April 27th from 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM.  The workshop is being cosponsored by the William D. Ruckelshaus Center and includes an opening reception with remarks by Bill Ruckelshaus at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, April 25th.

For details about the workshop agenda, log on to the University Bulletin Board on the PCI Forum or download the agenda. 

To register, download the registration form. 

 

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