In the first piece in this series, I wrote about finding out who makes decisions about issues that affect you on the local level. The next step is to attend meetings and public hearings.

Almost every meeting when a decision is about to be made, be it Town Council, County Commission, or others, will have what’s known as a “Public Comment” period. This is a chance for members of the public to stand up before the governing board and to share their views.

The sad reality is, most of the time the decision-makers have already come to their own conclusions. But sometimes, especially if members of the public present a good argument, or are particularly numerous, the opinions of those who make decisions can be swayed. It is important that if there is an issue going on locally that you feel passionate about, that you get to the meetings and speak your voice.

Getting Prepared

Usually when you first arrive at a meeting, there is a slip you must fill out if you wish to speak. It contains basic information about who you are and where you live. After giving this to the clerk (whomever is taking minutes for the meeting), you will be “in line” to speak.

When preparing your comment, it is important to focus on the specific issues being discussed, and to not get more broad or general. It is also key to speak on facts, and not emotional reactions. This doesn’t mean it’s not OK to be emotional; it is! However, having a well-reasoned argument is more important than sounding passionate.

Plan Your Comment

A good argument against a large new commercial development might be:

“This development negatively affects the rural character of our town.” or “This development will increase the traffic, light pollution, and groundwater contamination levels in our town without providing adequate funds for infrastructure upgrades.”

Whereas a less effective argument might be:

“I used to play in the field that this development is going up on when I was a kid.” or “All new developments are bad.”

There are two important things to remember when coming up with your comment. It’s important to find a theme and stick with it throughout. In addition, it’s important to try and make your comment individual and unique, not just echoing the comments of others. The more diverse arguments there are in support of a position, the harder it is for elected or appointed officials to ignore the position overall.

For instance, at a recent proposal for a sludge dump (see my previous article on it), 150 people showed up at the County Board of Supervisors meeting to comment against it. I wanted to make a comment that was different, and touched on a unique aspect of the negative effects of the dump. So I spoke on how the dump would affect the Wilderness values of several neighboring Wilderness Areas. This was a unique comment, and offered the Board of Supervisors a different angle to think about.

Stand Up and Speak!

When you’re finally called to the podium, it can be very nerve-wracking. No matter how many times I’ve gone up and spoken in front of the public and a governing board, my heart still pounds and my palms still sweat in anticipation. I find having written notes on my comment to be very helpful. However, for me, having my comment written out completely is actually a bad thing, because I then tend to just read it without adding much passion or feeling. Coming across as excited, passionate, and (if appropriate) angry can be very effective in communicating just how strong you feel about an issue.

Make sure you are courteous and polite, and also not too lengthy. A succinct, to-the-point comment can be far more effective than a long and rambling one. And one final tip: Make sure you bring a friend or two. The more voices there are speaking together, the more likely it is that those voices will be heard.

Democracy in action is most apparent at the local level. Standing up and speaking to influence the decisions of your elected officials is one of the easiest and most basic ways to get involved in the democratic process (other than voting of course). Go out, and take some action to make your world a better place. You will find that people will listen, and change is really possible!