No Substitute For Nitty-Gritty Input

Agencies collecting public input on potentially controversial projects have found a way to muffle and manipulate the public’s voice. It’s called an “open house.” Unlike a traditional hearing, it divides the public into small groups. Then, consultants collect, filter and summarize the input.

In Spokane, the Washington Department of Transportation used the strategy to discuss plans for the north-south freeway. In Coeur d’Alene, a Portland consulting firm has staged a series of open houses to develop and fine-tune proposals to rework the public waterfront. The U.S. Forest Service and Idaho Department of Education have opted for the tactic on occasion, too.

This approach lets entities control the debate. One critic stated, “It creates the impression of public involvement - but it’s pretty one-way.”

Unquestionably, open houses serve a purpose when issues are complicated and tempers run high. At their best, small-group discussions can be informative, providing a forum for those who dislike microphones and affording some two-way conversation rather than one-way shouting. But elected officials can’t rely on open houses alone and eliminate old-fashioned debate at a public forum. The public has a right to be heard, sans the filter of an open house. Any elected official who doesn’t have the time or courage to listen to constituents should step aside.

Public hearings can be messy. The same can be said for democracy. We are not ruled by a king, an oligarchy or Politburo. Our government derives its power from the governed. Therefore, the people have a right to say into an open microphone to their elected representatives where they think a freeway should go. Or how much timber should be harvested to rein in the Douglas fir pine beetle epidemic. Or what to do with a greenbelt.

One-on-one interviews, public workshops and open houses have enabled Walker Macy consultants to draft a good rough proposal for Coeur d’Alene waterfront work. But two elements require extensive debate: a recommendation to limit boater access to the Third Street dock and another to build a library on McEuen Field, blocking the lake view. Coeur d’Alene attorney Sue Flammia said it well when she said: “If you want to develop a sense of community, you have to give the people the opportunity to think together. That’s how good ideas come about.”

Open houses are good to a point. Beyond that point, the public should be heard. We need old-fashioned hearings, too.