HomeMy Public PortalAbout2018-01-23 Community Conversations_201801301224035271 Watertown Community Conversations
Background
In the past several years there have been a number of community policy and planning issues
affecting residents and people who work in Watertown that have generated much discussion,
some of which has been acrimonious and has furthered divisions within our community. We
believe that our community would benefit from employing processes that have been used with
great success in many other communities nationwide to:
• Promote civil discourse on important issues
• Strengthen the social fabric of the community
• Help elected officials and Town staff make more widely supported decisions.
Purpose
Watertown Community Conversations promotes the use of successful, proven techniques,
tools, and technologies to engage in thoughtful and productive public dialogue about issues and
concerns affecting the Watertown community.
Overall Benefits
• Improved civil discourse across diverse viewpoints
• Strengthened sense of community and local democracy
• Better-educated public regarding difficult, complex issues
• Increased public involvement on important issues
• Informed input for Town officials, resulting in better and more widely supported decisions
• Potential increase of volunteerism on Town Boards
Our Role
Act as a catalyst to:
• Provide information and skill building to stakeholders interested in improving civic
engagement and public dialogue
• Promote new ideas and methods for civic engagement and dialogue
• Collaborate with Town officials, community leaders, and the public to identify issues
appropriate for enhanced public dialogue
Who are we? Ora Grodsky, Nancy Hammett, Cecilia Lenk,Janet Penn, Larry Raskin, Maya
Townshend
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Watertown G&rnmunity Presentation Town Council
Conversaii(ons January 23,
2018
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Our Mission
Watertown Community Conversations is a non-partisan group that
promotes the use of successful techniques, tools, and technologies
to engage our community in thoughtful and productive public
dialogue about the issues and concerns affecting Watertown.
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Who We Are
We all have diverse backgrounds, with many years of experience in
organizational development, process change, facilitation, team
building, and helping groups define their goals and achieve their
objectives.
Cecilia Lenk
Ora Grodsky
Larry Raskin
Janet Penn
Maya Townsend
Nancy Hammett
Differing
Perspe -
onissues
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Watertown Fares Many Important Issues
■ Plans for new/renovated school buildings and costs
■ Planning for Watertown Square
■ Traffic impacts on development
■ Community Preservation Act
■ Welcoming city/ sanctuary city
■ Housing affordability
■ Mass transit improvements
Our Key Goals
■ Enrich public dialogue through techniques and methods that lead to
more energizing, meaningful conversations about what matters in
Watertown
Create opportunities for conversations in which people listen
together and come to shared solutions
• Increase involvement in public discussions
■ Broaden support for decisions on public issues
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Watertown Can Do This
Many other cities and towns have successfully implemented new
ways to engage the public. We're learning from them.
Gloucester, Somerville, and North Quabbin Region, Portsmouth, NH
Facilitated public meetings, kitchen conversations, on-line tools
We've already begun the work here.
Kickoff meeting with group of Town leaders
Public drop-in sessions
In-service to Watertown organization
What's Next
Organize 2018 programs (funding from Watertown Community
Foundation)
Community Conversations: How to Talk About What Matters
Facilitator Training
Advise town leaders, groups on design of events, use of facilitators
Visit our web site at for
information and resources; and share yours
We're all in this together and we're all learning!
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Watertown Community
Conversations i
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OUR MISSION:
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Engage
Watertown Community Conversations promotes the use of successfW,proven '
techniques,tools,and technologies to engage our community in thoughtful
and productive public dialogue about issues and concerns afl'rcting the
Watertown.
www.watertownconversations.org
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