Citizen's point of view

This blog about The Big Look Task Force's visit to Tillamook reminded me of a presentation I gave last fall on auditing from the citizen's point of view. The blog describes a citizen who went to this meeting with hopes of interacting. He had thought there might be a 15 minute introduction or summary then two hours available for testimony and observations. Instead, the event was managed to keep the participants "on task" according to him. He also described a survey where he felt the choices were not comprehensive enough to include what would have really been his choices. Overall, his impression was that the event was "window dressing."

Getting public input on potential policy choices is not a easy task. The timing of gathering input and the methods are an art. This blog represents one person's experience from his perspective. Sometimes audits can help improve a citizen's experience in the future. I have conducted several audits that try to improve this experience from how easy it is to access public records, find a building or service, or get help over the phone if you are homeless to whether an adult foster care home is homelike. Each of these started from a simple concept. Instead of auditing the process, experience the process to add validity to the information available. Government workers may have the best of intentions. But in their focus on how best to manage input and be productive, they forget how it feels from the citizen's perspective.