Podcast: Erica Zweifel on citizen engagement; President Obama to follow her lead

Tracy Davis, Erica ZweifelErica Zweifel and her fellow Northfield City Councilor are having some influence. As I commented earlier today, government openness and transparency while getting more input and involvement from ordinary citizens were among the themes in President Obama’s remarks today at the White House. (continued)

We had Erica back on our show today to delve deeper into this issue since she and Councilors Kris Vohs and Jim Pokorney have to make a recommendation to the Council in early Feb. I’ve turned off comments on this blog post. Continue discussion on the blog post Public engagement for the City of Northfield: Councilors want to know what should be changed. And see Talking Points Memo for the complete Remarks By The President Welcoming Senior Staff And Cabinet Secretaries – 1/21/09. Here’s the relevant quote from Obama.

Our commitment to openness means more than simply informing the American people about how decisions are made. It means recognizing that government does not have all the answers, and that public officials need to draw on what citizens know. And that’s why, as of today, I’m directing members of my administration to find new ways of tapping the knowledge and experience of ordinary Americans — scientists and civic leaders, educators and entrepreneurs — because the way to solve the problem of our time is — the way to solve the problems of our time, as one nation, is by involving the American people in shaping the policies that affect their lives.


Click play to listen. 30 minutes.

Our radio show/podcast, Locally Grown, usually airs Wednesdays at 5:30 PM on KYMN 1080 AM and on Fridays at 4 PM on KRLX 88.1 FM.

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