WANTED: Legislators Seeking
Ways
to Build Consensus and Connect with Citizens
Nebraska Senator Jeanne Combs created a series of "citizen advisory task force committees." Using a weekly newspaper column to solicit volunteers from her district, she attracted a diverse 44-person working group. They formed into committees on agriculture, revenue and economic development, education, and health and human services.
Hawaii Senator Les Ihara Jr., a long-time advocate of citizen engagement and deliberative democracy, has held numerous public discussions in his district. Recalling a forum he convened in Waikiki , Ihara said "this process brings out the real concerns. Although people disagree, they treat each other with respect." Ihara is currently creating a nationwide bipartisan network of legislators to share ideas, experiences and best practices in engaging citizens in public policy deliberation.
PCI's website includes a number of case studies from states-including Illinois, Minnesota, Montana-where legislatures have turned to consensus building to develop agreement on contentious issues.
This article includes excerpts from an article by Bruce Feustel, Senior Fellow at NCSL, that appeared in NCSL's February 2004 Legisbrief.