Public participation within municipalities

Abstract

Over the course of the last two years of participation with the City of Kiel, WI Common Council, I have come to notice that a gap exists between citizen and city hall. It is no more than a lack of communication amongst taxpayer and elected officials who have been appointed for the best interest of the people. This "gap" or lack of participation by citizens has what I believe is a detrimental effect on the performance of local government. I question ethics, roles, spending, and find myself wondering if greater participation by citizens would increase the performance of my local municipality and elected officials. In search for methods of measurement, as well as quantitative data that relates to the topic, I have drawn many blanks. I have turned my interest to forming a survey in which I intend to administer to the general public. This citizen survey will ask questions related to participation and will also be used to gauge citizen satisfaction as a whole. The data that I hope to collect will shed light as to why participation is low, and analysis may prove beneficial in the future for the municipality. I will conclude my research with a presentation to the city in hopes that elected officials will use the information to make necessary changes that can only benefit the city in the years to come. An opportunity such as this survey has not been offered in the City of Kiel since 1987. While I am aiming for positive feedback, I also fear that many comments or suggested resolutions may have negative connotations.