A Candidate Conversation about Collaborative Governance

Please join Lawrence City Commission and School Board candidates at a Candidate Conversation hosted by the Coalition for Collaborative Governance! During this discussion, candidates will answer questions about

• Engagement and collaboration with the public

• Collaboration amongst governmental entities

• Transparency 

We are excited to bring Commission and School Board candidates together to discuss increased collaboration between elected officials and their constituents, as well as increased collaboration between these two governing bodies.

Event Schedule

• 6:00 - 7:15: Candidates will answer questions about each topic (see questions below)

• 7:15 - 7:30: We will select audience questions and ask each candidate a different question

• 7:30 - 8:00: Audience members can talk to candidates one-on-one

• After the event, we will also share candidates’ written answers to additional questions.

Want to submit a question about community engagement, collaboration, and/or transparency? Share it here!

Candidate Conversation Questions

Public Engagement and Collaboration

1.        How would you plan to integrate community input into your decision making?

2.        How would you ensure early community engagement opportunities in the planning process? What new mechanisms would you implement for engaging community members from the beginning of planning processes?

3.        How would you want to be engaged by your constituents? What are the best methods for you to receive community input? What type of information could residents provide that might affirm or change your opinion on an issue?

4.        What public engagement efforts are the City/School Board already doing that you think are most effective?

Collaboration between Governmental Entities

1.        How would you improve collaboration between the City and School District to improve collaboration on issues that impact both entities, such as housing developments, infrastructure repairs, school closures, tax abatements, and changes in school boundaries and taxes.

2.        How would you improve the current culture of your governing body to increase collaboration and reduce siloed decision-making?

3.        What limitations do the Commission and School Board have in engaging with each other? Which of these are official institutional limitations, and which of these limitations are self-imposed or a product of institutional culture?

How can the City and School District better collaborate to address budget challenges?

Transparency

1.        How would you increase the availability, accessibility, and transparency of data so residents could provide more informed feedback? How would you engage in the City’s/School District’s storytelling to the public?

2.        What benefits do you see in being transparent with your constituents? How do you determine the threshold for information you think should be easily accessible to the public?

3.        When should an item be on the governing body’s consent agenda versus the regular agenda, which community members can publicly comment on? How do you determine what issues the public should have input on? Would you support allowing community members to pull items off the consent agenda for discussion?

4.        How would you balance the legal versus the ethical obligations of the governing body’s actions and choices? How would you codify your ethical obligations and publish them so the public can understand your decision making?

Collaborative Governance

Our coalition’s vision for collaborative governance that

• empowers all stakeholders—residents, community organizations, businesses, and city government—to shape local policies, budgets, and outcomes,

• fully involves the community in local governmental decision making, and

• builds collaborative relationships between community members and elected officials, and between local governing bodies.

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