Engaging the Public in the Mitigation Planning Proceess'''

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Engaging the Publicin theMitigation Planning
Proceess...

• E. Franklin Dukes, Ph.D.
• UVA Institute for Environmental Negotiation

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Workshop Guidelines

• Please participate - this is an interactive
  exercise
• We invite you to be open to new ideas to deal
  with old and new problems
• Share your expertise as well as your questions
• Have fun!

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Introductions

• In Groups of 3 or 4
• 1. Name
• 2. Where you work/ what you do
• 3. One challenge and one success you have had in
  mitigation planning

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What We Will Do...

• Your Challenges
• Why Public Involvement?
• Core Values of Public Involvement
• Keys to Authentic Public Involvement
• Different Processes for Different Goals
• Building Consensus vs. Opposition

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Challenges

• In Groups of 3 or 4
• 1. What specific issues in mitigation planning
  occur in your jurisdiction?
• 2. What kinds of issues most need public
  involvement and support?
• 3. What challenges do you face in public
  involvement?

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Why Public Involvement?

• Gain insights into views of stakeholders
• Gain information to improve planning
• Educate key publics
• Build legitimacy for activities
• Help allay controversy
• Foster commitment to implementing decisions
• Build community capacity

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Core Valuesof Authentic Public Involvement

• People should have a say in decisions about
  actions that affect their lives.
• Public participation includes the promise that
  the publics contribution will influence the
  decision.
• The public participation process communicates the
  interests and meets the process needs of all
  participants.
• These are from the International Association for
  Public Participation - IAP2

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Core Valuesof Public Involvement

• The public participation process seeks out and
  facilitates the involvement of those potentially
  affected.
• The public participation process involves
  participants in defining how they participate.

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Core Valuesof Public Involvement

• The public participation process communicates to
  participants how their input was, or was not,
  utilized.
• The public participation process provides
  participants with the information needed to
  participate in a meaningful way.

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Keys toAuthentic Public Involvement

• Begin Early
• Invite Participation from All Stakeholders
• Bring People Face-to-Face To Talk
• Seek Solutions that Work for All Key Interests
• Use High-Quality, Legitimate Information
• Focus on Understanding - Issues and People
• Design the Right Process for the Situation

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3 Phases of Authentic Public Involvement

• I. Conceiving
• II. Conducting
• III. Completing

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3 Phases of Authentic Public Involvement

• I. Conceiving goals and ways to meet those goals
• Assessment
• What are the issues? Who are the stakeholders?
• What outcomes do you want to achieve?
• Design
• What kind of process will achieve the desired
  outcomes?
• Convening
• Establishing a clear purpose, goals, plans,
  logistics

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Processes forAuthentic Public Involvement

• PBJ to Three Course Meal
• PBJ public hearing followed by decision
• Three Course Meal community involvement in issue
  identification, development of options, crafting
  of decision, and monitoring of implementation

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Processes for Authentic Public Involvement
lesser shared power to greater shared power

• Issue Scoping
• Public Meetings
• Public Workshops
• Community Dialogues
• Collaborative Problem-Solving

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A Spectrum of Group Processes

Increasing Involvement
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A Spectrum of Group Processes
Increasing Involvement
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Public Meetings The PBJs... Lowest Cost/ Time

• Goals
• Provide citizens with information/ education
• Identify citizen concerns

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Public Meetings The PBJs... Lowest Cost/ Time

• Tools for enhancing interaction
• Shared planning and recruitment
• Small group discussions
• Surveys
• Facilitated Q A beyond 3-minute speeches

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Public Meetings The PBJs... Lowest Cost/ Time

• Example
• County Hog Farms
• Interview stakeholders beforehand
• Offer time for each perspective
• Provide informal setting with circle seating

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Public WorkshopsThe Box Lunches...Mid-level

• Goals
• Provide citizens with information/ education
• Identify citizen concerns
• Build shared understanding
• Develop ideas and options

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Public WorkshopsThe Box Lunches...Mid-level

• Tools for enhancing citizen interaction
• Shared planning and recruitment
• Small groups
• Surveys
• Multi-media design aids
• Followup groups

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Public WorkshopsThe Box Lunches...Mid-level

• Example
• Landfill future use of closed cells
• Meet with citizens to ask their goals and
  interests and invite
• their participation
• Engage student ideas
• Opportunities for large group sharing
• Facilitated small group discussions

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Public WorkshopsThe Box Lunches...Mid-level

• Example
• Shenandoah Big Gem brownfields site
  redevelopment
• Series of community-wide meetings, presentations,
  facilitated small group discussions
• Training citizens in conflict
• resolution and facilitation

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Community DialoguesThe Box Lunches...Mid-level

• Goals
• Provide citizens with information/ education
• Identify citizen concerns
• Build shared understanding
• Develop ideas and options
• Build relationships

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Community DialoguesThe Box Lunches...Mid-level

• Tools for enhancing citizen interaction
• Focus on understanding, not debate
• Provide balanced information
• Trusted convenor and facilitator(s)
• Ground rules promote civil discussion
• Recognize that differences do not have to mean
  enmity

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Community DialoguesThe Box Lunches...Mid-level

• Example
• Public Conversations
• Siting of Circuit Court Required public
  referendum
• Series of 4 open meetings
• Facilitated presentations followed by Q/A
• All perspectives given opportunity for
  presentations prearranged by facilitator to
  ensure balance in any one meeting

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CollaborativeProblem Solving The 3-Course
Meals Quality, Time, Cost

• Provide citizens with information/ education
• Identify citizen concerns
• Build shared understanding
• Develop ideas and options
• Build relationships
• Make decisions or recommendations
• Build commitment for implementation

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CollaborativeProblem Solving The 3-Course
Meals Quality, Time, Cost

• Collaborative Problem-Solving Processes
• Mediation
• Consensus Building
• Community Collaboratives
• Policy Roundtables Dialogues
• Citizen Task Forces (Advisory)
• Steering Committees

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CollaborativeProblem Solving The 3-Course
Meals Quality, Time, Cost

• Example of Mediation
• Rural neighborhood
• Community water supply in Court receivership for
  seven years
• 4-month process of facilitated open community
  meetings, small group discussions, and telephone
  calls
• Agreement developed, approved by Court, and
  implemented

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CollaborativeProblem Solving The 3-Course
Meals Quality, Time, Cost

• Example of Consensus Building
• Bryan Park Interchange Advisory Committee
• Long-standing dispute over 3-highway intersection
  area and Park
• 25-member representative group
• 22 meetings and 3 public meetings
• Consensus recommendations endorsed by VDOT

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CollaborativeProblem Solving The 3-Course
Meals Quality, Time, Cost

• Example of Combined Processes
• Fairfax Co. Little Hunting Creek Watershed
• Public involved at all stages to 1) identify key
  issues, 2) frame the problem(s) to be addressed,
  3) propose solutions and strategies, 4)
  investigate approaches and feasibility to achieve
  proposed solutions
• Advisory Committee work with consultants
• 4 public meetings to scope issues, draft ideas,
  review draft and final plans
• Interactive web site, brochures, fact sheets, and
  watershed academy

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Common Obstacles to Authentic Public Involvement

• Time
• Money
• Political will
• Parties not willing to participate
• Lack of respected convenor and facilitator
• ???

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Key Lessons for Authentic Public Involvement

• By groups of 3 or 4
• What are key lessons for authentic public
  involvement for mitigation planning in your
  jurisdiction?

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Actions That Build Opposition

• Downplay the significance of problem
• Refuse to engage the public
• Deny any mistakes
• Defend your position as the only right position

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Actions That Build Opposition (cont.)

• Deny the validity of opposing views
• Attack those who oppose you
• Obscure the issues with jargon
• Make unjustified assumptions
• Fail to follow through (rhetoric without action)

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Strategies to Build Consensusvs. Creating
Opposition

• 1. Offer Access to Information vs. Limit Flow
  of Information
• 2. Involve Immediately and Offer Adequate Time
  vs. Stall and Impose Unjustified Deadlines

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Strategies to Build Consensusvs. Creating
Opposition

• 3. Begin With Needs, Encourage Options vs. Begin
  With a Solution, Limit Options
• 4. Be Inclusive Vs. Limit Participation and
  Exclude

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Strategies to Build Consensusvs. Creating
Opposition

• 5. Focus on Issues and Respect Dignity vs.
  (De)-Personalize Opposition
• 6. Accept Responsibility vs. Blame Others for
  Troubles
• 7. Create Culture of Openness, Inclusion,
  Creativity, Respect vs. Make This Business as
  Usual

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Behavior to Build Consensus vs. Creating
Opposition

• 1. Listen Carefully vs. Be Inattentive
• Common listening problems
• interrupting
• poor body language
• offering unwanted advice
• reading minds
• turning the discussion to your own situation
• belittling others' concerns (or comparing them
  unfavorably to your own).

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Behavior to Build Consensus vs. Creating
Opposition

• 2. Seek and Acknowledge Source of Concerns vs.
  Seek Hidden Agenda
• Examples "They're just in it for the money"
  "They oppose any action anywhere" "You
  developers / environmentalists / liberals /
  right-wingers always say that / do that / cheat
  / lie / don't care".

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Behavior to Build Consensus vs. Creating
Opposition

• 3. Speak to be Understood vs. Use Jargon
• Insider" language can bewilder outsiders.
• Such language can communicate elitism,
  intimidation, or indifference.
• Common problems
• Overuse of acronyms (e.g., EPA, EIS, EIA)
• Overly technical presentations
• Assumption that others share your understanding.

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Behavior to Build Consensus vs. Creating
Opposition

• 4. Commit to Answer Questions vs. Avoid
  Controversy
• Common mistakes
• Send an unprepared person to the meeting
• Hide information without good reason
• Avoid/evade potential and actual opponents
• No followup despite promises.

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Behavior to Build Consensus vs. Creating
Opposition

• 5. Be Prepared vs. Just Show Up
• Common mistakes
• Uninformed representatives
• Unworkable meeting facilities
• Not checking in with public beforehand
• Forget to bring important materials.

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When is a Facilitator/Mediator Needed?

• When the parties distrust one another
• When a lead agency (e.g. local government) or the
  person convening the discussion is not perceived
  as being impartial
• When confidentiality may be important and parties
  may need to be able to entrust the facilitator
  with confidential information

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When is a Facilitator/Mediator Needed?

• When everybody at the table has a stake in the
  outcome and needs an opportunity to advocate for
  particular interests
• When the issues are complex and a systematic
  process is needed for discussion

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Roles Responsibilities of a Facilitator/Mediator

• Assess the situation
• Design the process
• Manage relationships and communication
• Train participants in consensus skills
• Facilitate meetings, prepare for meetings, keep
  summaries
• Fact finding
• Mediate specific issues, including private
  caucuses to clarify interests and positions
• Monitor implementation and revision of agreement

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One Resource Community Mediation

• In many communities across Virginia there already
  exists a medium to begin to address these issues
  and to devise creative solutions to problems.
  This medium is the community mediation center.
  Mediation centers have
• Roots and connections within the community
• Trained, experienced volunteers who have helped
  transform destructive conflict
• A people-friendly approach especially critical in
  organizations and communities where people will
  have ongoing relationships and interaction

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Lessons Learned

• QUESTIONS?
• COMMENTS?

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Helpful Resources

• Best Practices for Government Agencies
  Guidelines for Using Collaborative
  Agreement-Seeking Processes (1997) 10/copy,
  [phone] E-mail info_at_acresolution.org
• A Practical Guide To Consensus, by The Policy
  Consensus Initiative (1999) 15/copy, 701/
  224-0588

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