Understanding Local Government Cultures: Practical Partnering for Civic Engagement Local government plays a central role in many dialogue and deliberation projects, as host, client or essential ally. Yet, officials may have mixed results from past public engagement experiences, skeptical colleagues, political constraints, limited staff and budgets, and higher priority responsibilities. How can we understand their realities and be more effective partners in what’s often a change management process? How can we assess the need and opportunities for culture change to promote more local public participation? Findings from candid interviews with local officials.

1. Understanding Local Government Cultures
NCDD 6th Biennial Conference
October 19, 2014

2. The Question
• Declining public trust of all levels of government
• Mandated public processes having mixed
results
• What are local officials’ attitudes about public
engagement?

3. 2013 Research with
CA Public Officials
City County
Public meetings are dominated
by people with narrow agendas.
76% 77%
Community members have
become more angry and
mistrustful.
68% 78%
Testing the Waters, May 2013 report with findings from 900 California local officials.

4. 2013 Research with
CA Public Officials City County
Have staff with primary focus of
increasing public participation in
decision making
38% 45%
Use community-based
organizations and their networks to
facilitate communications with the
public:
A little or a lot 80% 91%
A lot 31% 45%

5. Individual Perspectives
I want less public input right now. It feels like we’re just
opening the pipe for venting even further.
City Council Member
My headcount was just cut 20%. I can’t add another
function to the workload. County Department Head
There are so many things happening in the public
engagement field, it’s like drinking out of a firehouse.
City Council Member

6. Association Level
Most local managers are not conversant with the field of
public engagement. By and large, they see it as something
you have to “get through” that gets in the way of
delivering services in the best way. Former City Manager
Even though we talk a lot about collaboration, there are a
lot of separate worlds that do not necessarily
communicate with each other.
Association Consultant
One of the biggest priorities is helping develop the skills to
move conversations from self-interest to the common
interest. Association Executive

7. Board / Council
Planning Commission Staff
Applicants Experts
Directly A
“Professional” Citizens
Directly Affected
Residents
Advocates
“Quiet” Public

8. County Board / City Council
Planning Commission Other Boards & Commissions
Directly Affected
Residents “Professional” Citizens
Advocates
Service Providers
“Quiet” Public
Staff
Experts

9. Structural Context
 Few staff have PE as primary responsibility;
lower priority, reactive PE to fit mandates
 Local government performance based on
technical skills, not PE – until reach senior level
 Very limited capacity; results in performance
anxiety OR overestimation of skills
 PE champions can run into internal resistance
and external criticism
 Episodic PE more common than sustained

10. “Old” stakeholder model

11. New partnership wheel

12. Some initial suggestions
 Develop clarity about the full range of decision-makers
involved
 Consider enhancing existing public processes as
well as introducing new ones
 If multiple jurisdictions involved, do not
assume that they currently collaborate
 Pay equal attention to information content as
well as process
 Aim for concrete wins and reflect on progress
made

13. www.ckgroup.org