Julia L. Carboni: Building civic health starts in Washington’s cities and towns

Something important is happening in Washington state. Quietly but powerfully, communities across our state are working to rebuild trust in one another and in the institutions that serve us. We are rebuilding civic health, and one of the clearest signs of progress is the way local leaders are coming together to learn how to govern differently.

Civic health is easy to understand and it’s transformative to practice. It means people treating each other with respect, serving their communities, and working together even when they disagree. It means listening, finding common ground, and disagreeing without tearing each other down.

Three years ago, Lt. Gov. Denny Heck brought together a group of core partners in the Project for Civic Health: the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation. We knew our state and our country were hungry for a way to escape polarization. We convened summits, listened to communities, and created programs designed to make public life in Washington more connected and more collaborative.

One of the most promising of those programs is the Washington Collaborative Elected Leaders Institute, a joint program of the William D. Ruckelshaus Center and the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, delivered in partnership with the Association of Washington Cities. WA‑CELI is designed to help local elected leaders learn new ways to govern, lead and work across differences.

Both WA‑CELI cohorts began their journey in Spokane, where city council members and mayors from across the political spectrum and from all over Washington gathered for their first session. Over six months, they step away from daily pressures to build relationships, practice collaborative leadership skills, and rediscover something essential: They are public servants first.

This shift matters. When leaders see each other as teammates rather than opponents, they start to ask new questions, share ideas and create solutions that last. I have seen mayors who barely knew each other sit down and brainstorm how to tackle homelessness. I have watched city council members from opposite ends of the political spectrum share what they have learned about responding to constituents with respect, even in tense moments.

WA-CELI is more than a leadership program. It is a proof point. It shows that with intention, we can rebuild the habits of trust and respect that make democracy work.

And rebuilding civic health is not only for elected officials. It is for all of us – in how we greet our neighbors, how we listen at school board meetings, how we engage in hard conversations. These daily actions add up to the civic health of our state.

That is why the Project for Civic Health is inviting every Washingtonian to make a commitment of their own. We have identified three guiding principles anyone can live by:

• Engage with respect – Commit to fostering respectful conversations.

• Seek common ground – Work toward principled compromises whenever possible.

• Disagree constructively – When agreement is not possible, remain respectful in differences.

These are not lofty ideals. They are practical commitments we can make today in our workplaces, neighborhoods, classrooms and public forums. You can join this effort by signing the Civic Health Pledge at projectforcivichealth.org. Signing the pledge is not the end. It is the beginning of being part of a growing network of people and organizations working to make Washington a model for what is possible when we lead with respect and work together.

Join us in building connection, community and civic health across Washington. We’re better together.

Julia Carboni, of Seattle, is executive director of the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, a partnership of Washington State University and the University of Washington that supports civic health and collaborative policy making in Washington state, and is a core partner in the Project for Civic Health.