Out-of-Touch Public Officials: They Say They Believe In Citizen Participation But Have A Stranglehold On Public Policy

Here's are four official statement from The City of Mesa: https://www.mesaaz.gov/government/mayor-council

 

1. The Mesa City Council sets policies based on the input and needs of its citizens.

2. Mesa operates under a charter form of government with citizens electing a mayor and six councilmembers to set policy for the City.

3. The mayor and council are elected on a non-partisan basis.

4. The Mesa City Council believes that its people, not leaders, are what makes a City great and actively works to encourage citizen participation in the decision-making process.

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OK. All those words sound nice for sure > the City also outlines the different ways for people and citizens to participate:

Whether it is through neighborhood meetings, advisory boards and committees, telephone calls and letters, or email 

PLEASE NOTE: 

For the time being there are few if any NO neighborhood meetings and other ways to communicate public needs and public input are limited.

City Council Meetings and Study Sessions Notice

To decrease COVID-19 exposure, the City Council Chambers is closed, but public participation and viewing will be available electronically. 

See the City Council Meetings page for full details about meeting participation 

Likewise - looking at the the graphic in the middle there is selected citizens participation with the following statement:

You may click on any of the City boards and committees listed below to learn more about the purpose and requirements for each board, and to see the current list of members and term end dates.

If you are interested in serving on a City board or committee, please visit the Advisory Board & Committees Application Center. There you will begin by creating a customer profile with a login and password once before applying.

APPOINTMENTS TO THE BOARDS (AND COMMITTEES) ARE RECOMMENDED BY THE MAYOR AND APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.

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THE REALIZATION THAT PUBLIC OFFICIALS WERE SO FAR OUT OF TOUCH WITH PUBLIC OPINION INSPIRED A SMALL GROUP OF POLITICALLY DIVERSE ACTIVISTS TO CHALLENGE THE CONSERVATIVES' STRANGLEHOLD ON PUBLIC POLICY...

That's the story of citizen initiatives in different states that voters approved by a majority