What fools we are! Our taxes pay for the lawyers that advise our local governments on how to legally minimize or eliminate public participation in the decision making process – and all the new regulatory programs enacted – like Form Based Codes and Nine-Point Plans – remove the public from any authority or oversight; even in the most radical and far reaching policy decisions.
It’s hard to blame the public for being apathetic; when the sole result of attending public hearings is the legitimizing of decisions that are anything but public mandates.
Publicly presenting your thought out and well-documented criticisms; to a Town Board that approves the policy within seconds of your speaking — is like voting in an election with only one candidate.
The sound of one hand clapping? It’s meaningful public participation.