Transparency & Collaboration
This is a core issue for me. A prime responsibility of a well functioning government is transparency, communication, and collaboration with the Community.
The City of Kirkland currently engages with the Community through the Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods, social media, and a wide variety of committees. Even with this outreach, the City falls short of connecting with the Community in a meaningful way and in a way that makes the Community felt heard and as an integral part of self-governance. I have personally experienced this and in my discussions with many of the Neighborhood Associations, I am hearing similar messaging.
The Community has the benefit of having representation and engagement with the City of Kirkland through our Neighborhood Associations. We have thirteen neighborhood associations with widely different levels of participation, engagement, and impact. Connecting with the communities to find new ways to engage and strengthen the participation in the Neighborhood Associations is a critical first step.
The neighborhood associations do not represent the great diversity that is Kirkland. There are many people who will not feel safe to engage in the process. I see it as a core responsibility of the elected to reach out into the communities to find connect with community advocates. Finding and developing local advocacy is a critical step in bridging the participation gap. As the community sees positive change through participation, we will see greater levels of participation.
We are blessed with many great advocacy groups within Kirkland. I look forward to meeting with each of you to discover your unique drivers and how we leverage your energy to improve our City.
We build trust in government and in the process through removing the barriers that prevent better community engagement. I will do this through inviting dialogue and listening to all sides of the issue. I will acknowledge all sides of the issue and even the parts that I may personally disagree with will be heard. I will work with City staff on new methods for outreach. Some may be as simple as reader boards at community gateways. I will also request a full assessment of the current communications plan and outreach program.
The City of Kirkland currently engages with the Community through the Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods, social media, and a wide variety of committees. Even with this outreach, the City falls short of connecting with the Community in a meaningful way and in a way that makes the Community felt heard and as an integral part of self-governance. I have personally experienced this and in my discussions with many of the Neighborhood Associations, I am hearing similar messaging.
The Community has the benefit of having representation and engagement with the City of Kirkland through our Neighborhood Associations. We have thirteen neighborhood associations with widely different levels of participation, engagement, and impact. Connecting with the communities to find new ways to engage and strengthen the participation in the Neighborhood Associations is a critical first step.
The neighborhood associations do not represent the great diversity that is Kirkland. There are many people who will not feel safe to engage in the process. I see it as a core responsibility of the elected to reach out into the communities to find connect with community advocates. Finding and developing local advocacy is a critical step in bridging the participation gap. As the community sees positive change through participation, we will see greater levels of participation.
We are blessed with many great advocacy groups within Kirkland. I look forward to meeting with each of you to discover your unique drivers and how we leverage your energy to improve our City.
We build trust in government and in the process through removing the barriers that prevent better community engagement. I will do this through inviting dialogue and listening to all sides of the issue. I will acknowledge all sides of the issue and even the parts that I may personally disagree with will be heard. I will work with City staff on new methods for outreach. Some may be as simple as reader boards at community gateways. I will also request a full assessment of the current communications plan and outreach program.