07/08/1991 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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. Mr. MacDonald theorized that if Councilor Rutan were present he would point out that some projects pass the scrutiny of the public even without an in- vestment in public communication. He noted that the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) did an excellent public relations job on a recent issue which required a public vote. He said the public perception of the council and City government is cynical and this perception needs to be overcome. Mayor Miller pointed out that the council and City government got a high approval rating in a recent citizen survey. He said the City needs to act like a financial adviser with no product to sell. Mr. Boles said adequately staffed citizen advisory boards could help staff communicate ideas to the public. Mr. MacDonald referred to an article in the weekly newspaper, What's Happen- lQg, which was critical of the first leadership meeting held in the Eugene Decisions process. Mr. Green said there was no way to separate politics from a cynical public perception. He said the council should reach consensus on its priorities for Eugene Decisions and attempt to accomplish these goals. Mr. Gleason said he agreed that there was a latent level of cynicism about City politics in Eu- gene. He said this will become a problem if it paralyzes the community and incapacitates its decision-making abilities. Mr. Gleason noted that some departments of the City do better than others at e communicating with the public. He said DPS has done very well in this regard recently, but the process leading to this communication was lengthy. He said the communication skills of the organization have improved, but the overall process requires patience. Mayor Miller said DPS was effective in finding approval for its long-Range Plan because of the plan's public involvement process. Referring back to a comment by Mr. MacDonald, the Mayor said the article in What's Happening was a disservice to the community. He said the writer called community leaders "fools" and did not give the council credit for expanding the citizen in- volvement process for Eugene Decisions. He said the council is a diverse group which represents many elements in the community. Mr. Boles noted that a recent citizen survey showed that a majority of people are not cynical about either the councilor City government. Ms. Ehrman referred to an item in the Summary of the Council Leadership SWOT which referred to "high expectations." She noted that the council also has high expectations. Ms. Bascom said she felt that the community had just "scratched the surface" of what it could do in the field of special events. Mr. Boles suggested that if the Joint Parks Committee chose to change its name, it be called the Parks, Recreation, and Culture Committee. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1991 Page 5 ----