Falmouth : A Brave New World Of Public Participation?

Troy’s Take: A Brave New World Of Public Participation?

Posted: Friday, June 26, 2015 10:12 am

TROY CLARKSON | 0 comments

Noted and recognized as the founder of modern management, consultant, professor and author Peter Drucker noted that “management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

I have written often in this space recently about the struggles of our local managers to do things right. Project after project seems doomed by a lack of accountability, planning, and attention to detail. When you couple that with the tight-lipped disdain shown to citizens and commentators who try to see behind the curtain and understand and provide input on decisions, the lack of confidence that is the constant subject of conversation in the coffee shops is not only understandable, it’s natural.

While leadership is not a panacea for this management malaise, having a good dose of it in the corner conference room would certainly help score an uptick in the aforementioned areas of accountability and attention to detail—and that is just what newly appointed chairman Doug Jones intends to do.

As I discussed with him his goals and objectives for his year as Falmouth’s chief elected official this week, he displayed a refreshing and even uplifting acknowledgment of a credibility problem with our local elected and appointed leaders. He aptly and frankly noted that “if there is a perception of inaction, then in some ways that’s a reality.” He followed up that welcome candor with a series of objectives designed to increase public awareness, engagement and, with both of them, the good government cornerstones of trust and confidence.

Peter Drucker would be pleased. Doug Jones is doing—or at least saying—the right things. Simply by recognizing and admitting that the board of selectmen, along with those who report to them, have work to do in building public confidence and credibility, he is demonstrating some sorely needed leadership.

When asked what objectives might fulfill that goal, Doug outlined a clear plan for outreach in many forms specifically designed to get in touch and get feedback from the citizens he serves. He noted that he would like to, “Make the board more accessible and open up input from people so they have a voice.” What may sound routine and elementary is actually a breakthrough—and deserving of praise. He specifically identified the town’s outdated and clunky website as a priority in this plan of increased outreach, sharing that he would like to see a community calendar providing detailed information on upcoming meetings or events, inviting the public to engage and participate. He also suggested that the website should be easy to access and navigate and asked a rhetorical but nonetheless important question: “How can we increase access to the town’s information?” The mere posing of that question is progress.

We discussed the importance and ubiquitous nature of social media and both agreed that it is an important adjunct to a web presence. He was upbeat and energized. He was sincere and forthcoming with acknowledging the town’s faults. He appears to have a genuine desire to make things better. The local leadership meter is ticking forward steadily.

I have been a frequent critic of town hall. Nonetheless, those who labor there continue to supply ample material to fill this space with lamentations. As I took an evening drive this week along Menauhant Road and my newly repaired tire rims screamed out in agony as I plunged into a series of dungeons of grooved pavement that were neither marked nor identified, I openly lamented the lack of basic information and cautions of road hazards coming from our public works professionals and watched as other car drivers suffered a similar fate, throwing their hands in the air in a combination of exasperation for the condition of the road and annoyance that their brief detour toward dented rims came without warning.

Doug’s brave new world of public involvement would change events like that from a banner for bad government to a sprezzatura for social media. From a website that engages, not confuses, its citizens, to social media posts that provide up-to-the-minute information to a plan to engage a weary citizenry, I have hope that this brave new world may be more than fiction.

I’ll give Doug credit for laying out a plan. I’ll even give him kudos for emerging as a leader. We can all judge the progress that ensues.

[truncated due to possible copyright] Credit Capenews.net

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