Title
AN ORDINANCE relating to enhancing citizen participation, civic engagement and citizenship education in county government, creating a volunteer citizen councilor network within the legislative branch; and adding a new chapter to K.C.C. Title 1.
Body
PREAMBLE:
Freedom of speech, freedom of petition and freedom of assembly are hollow rights if people feel unable to be heard.
Freedom to be heard is not mentioned in the United States Constitution and thus is a right reserved to the people under the ninth amendment.
The purpose of this initiative is to enhance citizen participation, civic engagement and citizenship education in government. There is a need to create a citizen councilor network of small discussion groups, open to all citizens, self-funded and using symbolic and sustainable dialogue to communicate among political and other community leaders and the people at large.
One key to a sustainable community is an informed and sustainable dialogue among leaders and people. Citizens need new, more convenient and effective ways to share their opinions with other citizens and the leaders of their organizations, institutions and governments. This is a process of building social capital through both bonding and bridging dialogue and improving community mental health and happiness--one of the goals of all governments, which seek, as they should, to protect and enhance the basic human rights of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
The intent is to improve the people's freedom to be heard by providing, without cost to those participating, an enhanced public arena for effective civic engagement. Similar to advisory voting, but less expensive and more collaborative, this process enables all interested citizens to contribute their opinions in a convenient and efficient manner.
This initiative will establish a feedback communication system by establishing a network of volunteer citizen councilors, coordinated by the King County auditor's office, ...
Click here for full text