In a world where there is constant talk about more transparency and openness in government at all levels, now is a time to reflect upon an observation by Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
Moynihan was once described in The Almanac of American Politics as “the nation’s best thinker among politicians since Lincoln, and its best politician among thinkers since Jefferson.” Prior to three terms in the U.S. Senate, he served Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford.
One of Moynihan’s enduring guiding principles was, “Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts.”
With technology, the options for everyone to get facts are virtually unlimited.
The challenge is to get reliable and trustworthy facts on government issues and plans.
Locally, two options are now available to get facts that are reliable and trustworthy.
One option is Engage Talbot, an initiative of the Talbot County Government.
It is not only a source of facts, it also allows citizens to share their thoughts, ideas, and feedback on such issues as growth, public safety, conservation, and recreational programming.
The user-friendly site is accessible 24/7, so everyone can contribute at their convenience.
The first project available for public comment, the 2024 Report of the Review, can be viewed at https://engage.talbotcountymd.gov/rotr. Later this year, Engage Talbot will play a key role in gathering public input for the County’s Comprehensive Plan update.
The launch of Engage Talbot coincides with the introduction of GovDelivery, the County’s new email and text notification platform. GovDelivery allows residents to stay updated on County news, events, and initiatives.
Individuals can register at https://talbotcountymd.gov/subscribe and customize their experience to receive updates about topics they care about. They can also visit https://engage.talbotcountymd.gov to share their thoughts.
The Town of Easton is also moving forward on initiatives to increase access to information, and a way for citizens to share their opinions with government officials.
Recently, Easton’s Zoning Department produced an Engage East End webpage that provided a comprehensive look at the goals for the East End Small Area Plan. This webpage also provides news on events such as a neighborhood walkaround and updates on the status of this project.
All Town Council meetings are live-streamed and recorded at https://eastonmd.gov/129/Agendas-Minutes. Meeting agendas can also be found on this page. Most public workshops and board meetings are also live-streamed and available from this page. A full schedule of these events is available on the homepage at www.eastonmd.gov.
Major Town news, announcements, project updates, events and more can be found on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter). These sites also regularly provide timely information about day-to-day and week-to-week Town projects, with photo galleries and short video packages. The Town “handle” across all of their platforms is @townofeastonmd. When ordinances are passed and public hearing notices are announced, the Town runs notices in the local newspaper of record and puts them on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Easton is currently updating the website with a fresh look and more functionality. Coming later this year will be ease of navigation, and more accessibility features.
A complete overhaul of the Parks and Recreation website “module” is expected to be added this year. This new module will allow for online bookings and reservations, and a comprehensive listing of events and projects across all Town-owned facilities.
A new web-interface will allow for user-friendly ways for the Planning and Zoning Department (and other departments) to collect public input on projects and initiatives. Polls, surveys, forums, and more will be tools at their disposal to gather meaningful discourse and ideas on and procedures for future development in Easton.
Ultimately, technology alone will not result in greater transparency, openness, and public input on a wide range of public policy dialogue deliberations and decisions in our local governments.
Ultimately, the value of and success on greater openness and transparency will be determined by two things.
One is citizen commitment to access engagement opportunities fully and regularly. The second is citizen acknowledgment that majority votes will prevail on decisions in legislative bodies.
Accordingly, citizen commitments to be informed and to be involved do not guarantee that final outcomes will match everyone’s informed position and their level of involvement.
When decisions are made, there are winners and losers, especially on polarizing issues.
While that may frustrate those who do not prevail, the alternative is worse. Outcomes responding to the most vocal supporters of any position is simply tyranny of the loud.
We are all best served when all informed and involved parties are willing to accept majority vote rule outcomes with civility, even if they disagree with those outcomes.
David Reel is a public affairs and public relations consultant in Easton.
0 Responses
Thanks for all the links, David. Very helpful. In the end, organizations can create greater access, but it is up to constituents to take advantage of the opportunity. Some people would rather just complain.
Spot on Lynn, all of this info has always been available, but as a citizen you have to engage, and it is way easier for people to post from their couch on to FB than to engage their brain and seek the answers to the questions they have.