Letter to the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pleasantville, NY
from Nancy Rosanoff Krysko
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Recently I participated in a program call The Wisdom Council. It is a
process through which organizations add a self-reflective component to
the planning and decision-making process. It is both inspiring and
incredibly simple - so much so that I think the Village of Pleasantville
would embrace it and be deeply enhanced by it.
The basic concept is this:
- Every year a random sample of 12-24 village residents is chosen to
participate on the Wisdom Council.
- The council meets for 2-3 days with a facilitator with the task of
determining one-two main issues facing Pleasantville and some
suggestions on how those issues might be solved.
- The results of the wisdom council are distributed through local media
and through the mail to all Pleasantville citizens and becomes the basis
for community discussion and involvement.
- The council disbands and a new council is formed the following year.
Major points to consider:
- The wisdom council has no policy making authority - it is purely a
‹voice of the peopleŠ reflection to stimulate a meaningful, village-wide
conversation.
- The sample of citizens chosen has to be completely random to screen
out any special interest or heirarchical status.
- The budget is minor and might include: stipend for Wisdom Council
participants, facilitator fee, location for council to meet,
refreshments for Council, documentation. (all of the above expenses
could be eliminated with a creative oversight board)
Some of the objectives are:
- To stimulate a village-wide discussion that goes beyond special
interest groups and bureaucratic process.
- To deeply listen to and acknowledge the concerns, joys and issues of
the people of Pleasantville.
- To keep the political and planning process of Plesantville responsive
and pro-active.
- To strengthen community bonds among the people of Pleasantville.
- To continue to strengthen Pleasantville‰s image as a positive,
solution oriented, small-town-feeling place to live.
Details to be determined:
- Who to include in the pool of people: high school students, voters
only, etc.
- Publicity, community buy-in, participation and follow-up.
I love this idea and think that it can add tremendously to a positive
political process for the Village. It is such a simple idea yet could
have tremendously beneficial results. The person who developed the idea,
Jim Rough of Port Townsend, Washington, sees it as an opportunity to
revive the democrative process across the United States.
I am willing to champion this idea and, with the support of the board,
act as coordinator. There is a long article on the process as used in
the corporate setting available upon request and I would be happy to
make a presentation to the board as appropriate.
Sincerely yours,
Nancy Rosanoff Krysko
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