Councillors knocking on doors across Northcrest
As Peterborough city council approaches the three-quarter mark of its term, the practice of its community consultation remains an underlying concern for the local body politic. While some may not wish to accept it, there is a definite residue of public discontent arising from city council’s decision making processes involving major issues such as the parkway, the casino and the sale of Peterborough Distribution Inc.
At hand is the public perception of the legitimacy of citizen input as a factor in city council decision making. On the face of it, citizen voices at major public meetings appear to carry very little weight in influencing the outcome of city council votes. Some have come to see that as a failure of council to value the will of its participating communities. Some see a process of public consultation that is tolerated by city council rather than embraced by it, creating pseudo legitimacy in order to permit the city to move ahead with decisions that appear to have already been made. At big room public consultations, the tone typically becomes more adversarial as the meeting progresses; most attendees, including councillors, find little enjoyment in the event. This is a cyclical scenario: a failure to create a positive consultation process dampens public participation which means a less responsive government and a more cynical public. When people sense that they are just window dressing, they tend to change the locks on the door.
It is against this backdrop that recent activities by the two Northcrest city councillors – Andrew Beamer and Dave Haacke – stand apart. This spring, the city mailed a survey to Northcrest residents on Marina Blvd. seeking their opinion on alternate streetside parking. The councillors thought that a mailing wasn’t good enough and decided to visit the residents at their doors to hear and discuss their views on parking firsthand. The response of the residents – one of both surprise and praise – was so positive that it motivated the councillors to begin knocking on doors across the entire ward.
Since April, they have been carrying out a remarkable program of public engagement of their own creation. Every third weekend, Councillors Haacke and Beamer go knocking on residential doors together for four hours between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. They started in the central part of the ward and then moved to the northwest, adjusting their travels to focus on areas having specific issues or concerns. The approach at the door is open-ended; that is, the councillors ask for thoughts on how they can improve in serving the community; the most important issues in the ward; and whether people need help from City Hall. They often respond to concerns on the spot, emailing city or agency staff with a request to resolve a matter.
To date, the councillors have knocked on more than 300 doors on eight streets. By year-end they anticipate doubling that total to 600 doors, a significant achievement for two politicians who also have full-time jobs.
This is one form of genuine community engagement – a supplement to the four town hall meetings and community gathering already held by the two councillors this term. It is personal, collegial, interactive, customer-driven, discussion-based, solutions-focused and free of the rigid formality of rules. It sends the right message of accountability and it pokes a hole in the cynical perception that you only see politicians at election time or when they want something. Needless to say, it is also very smart politics, a great source of public opinion research and a standard of service that should cause other councillors to take notice.