Holding Local Government Accountable: Pierce County 2017 Update pt. 3
Making the First Move
If you have been following this series so far, you are already aware of some issues I ran into when trying to sift through my local government's county website
While initially I was searching for services and resources to help me start a conscious impact initiative Imagine Conscious Collective
As I sifted through the county website, I began to see that a tremendous opportunity to affect REAL socio-economic empowerment and change by drawing public awareness to the fact that:
Local governments have plenty of resources to greatly improve our socio-economic culture and CHOOSE not to.
Since the public is unaware of the basic support governments are SUPPOSED to provide it's citizens, local governing bodies get away with making six figure salaries off taxes coming from households making under 50,000 dollars a year. How? Simple, we have been culturally programmed to believe that our government should rule us freely. That our power should be given away to these authorities, that we should fund their wars or greed without question.
Today I officially reached out to the board of the Pierce County's Council Chairman Douglas Richardson, with the intention of setting up a time and place for us to have a recorded Q & A
My Request
"Hello, my name is Zamara Bennett and I am contacting you so that we may schedule a time and place to have a recorded discussion about the Pierce County's communal, social, economic and human-development services and resources. I am starting a conscious collective impact initiative: Imagine Conscious Collective that will focus on providing a platform and support system for individuals and local communities to access opportunities for socio-economic engagement and empowerment through socially conscious utilization/applications of existing and emerging technologies. I started looking around for information on the Pierce county website about how I might be able to find services or support to develop Imagine Conscious Collective. Sifting through the county website has triggered a multitude of important questions about local government, citizen participation, and what is required to make a better dynamic between the two. The responsibility for successful governance is a shared responsibility between government citizens and local government policymakers. This is an effort to do my part as a responsible Pierce County citizen; by reaching out AFTER doing thorough research into your practices, publicly documenting my research process results, receiving public input, and finally developing a list of concerns, questions, and inquiries based on public input and personal experience. My intention is to develop better citizen participation in local policy through increased awareness and understanding, first. I am available before or after the new year, but will expect to have set up a time and location for our interview no later than the 11th of January before reporting back my attempt to speak with you, and seeking other sources for input. I really appreciate you taking the time out to read my email and am looking forward to talking with you soon! Take care and happy holidays! --Zamara Bennett"
Again, any feedback you can provide is much appreciated. There is a public city council meeting on January 2nd that I will be attending regardless of whether I receive any response at all.
Check out Part One:
How do Local Governments Inspire Community Engagement and Perform Public Outreach Pierce County, Washington State
And Part Two of this post series:
Holding Local Government Accountable Pierce County 2017 Human Services Pt. 2