Making Cents?
Start with a unilateral program announced as if it were created by the City Council.
(see: http://www.eagletribune.com/archivesearch/local_story_206214459.html).
Make an announcement that the process will be overseen by the Council Chairperson.
Whatever happened to this “program”?
Exactly what most people assumed.
Suggestion programs are notoriously difficult to set up and run successfully.
Here is another example.
Announcements appear on the city website. At the Home page;
City of Methuen Suggestions: The City of Methuen is interested in your views on city government and how to improve our community. Send your thoughts and opinions to our suggestions email address.
and at the City council page;
City of Methuen Online Suggestions
The City of Methuen is interested in your views on city government and how to improve our community. Email your thoughts and opinions to Suggestions@ci.methuen.ma.
A request to the program coordinator garnered a “be patient”.
Suggestion programs work when all requests, no matter how outlandish, are published. There is a serendipitous quality about these programs. This is lacking here. No suggestions have been published. No count of input has been noted.
Another frolic for a politician?
The worst part of the program is that it is not even official. There was never any discussion on the topic. No vote was taken. No committment recruited amongst Department heads.
When the new year starts any input will be lost.
Is that good or bad?
No way to tell since no part of the program, except, the public announcement was ever released.
Am I making Cents? Well, those are my two cents.