Citizen Participation in Local Goverment

By Terry D. Nagel

Democracy works best when citizens are engaged and involved in government.

The current Burlingame City Council has opened the doors of local government to the public and invited participation in goal setting and budget sessions. We have encouraged citizens to share their views at Town Hall Meetings on issues such as sidewalk repairs, power failures and the tree on Easton Drive. We have invited residents, property owners and others to work together to hammer out collaborative solutions to problems.

The process works well. One recent success was a meeting at which stakeholders from a wide variety of groups met with Caltrain experts regarding the design that Caltrain had proposed for the Burlingame Avenue station. After hearing a wide variety of suggestions, Caltrain upgraded its plan to a $20.5 million design that is the most expensive of any station upgrade on the Caltrain line.

A New Safeway in the Works

With Safeway's full concurrence, we are currently using the same collaborative process to work on a new design for the supermarket. Representatives from seven stakeholder groups, including Safeway, are designing a store that works for Safeway as well as for Burlingame. We are also seeking public input for a new Downtown Specific Plan that will provide a roadmap for future growth in the greater area around Burlingame Avenue.

Sometimes it takes a little longer to incorporate public comment before plans are drawn and decisions are made, but I believe the final result is better because it has wide support from the community. People are less likely to protest at the end of this process because they had an opportunity to be heard.

The Easton Tree

The fate of the tree on Easton Drive was an issue that took longer than usual to resolve. When the City Council voted 3-2 in December 2006 to replace the tree, I felt comfortable with that decision based on the recommendations of our city commissions and staff. I was astounded by the public's reaction. More than 100 people expressed outrage at our decision, making me wonder if we had overlooked some vital information.

I took the time to call about 40 people individually who were involved in the commission decisions or otherwise had strong input into the process. I got strong feedback that many people felt the city had not taken certain alternatives into consideration, that the decision had been rushed through some commissions and that certain perspectives had been squelched. This was not just a tree we were talking about, they said, but a citywide discussion of how to deal with all the mature trees in Burlingame as they impact our infrastructure. The tree was a majestic specimen that had been there for 130 years. Why not take a few more months to listen to hear what people had to say and complete an Urban Forest Management Plan that would guide this and future decisions regarding trees?

I am satisfied with the decision our council made regarding the tree, and I am confident that the new Safeway store and our upcoming Downtown Specific Plan will be exemplary examples of collaborative community planning.

There are those who say the City Council should act more quickly. Do we really want to go back to the days of snap decisions without community input? I firmly believe that citizen participation and involvement result in a stronger, better community. I believe in democracy.