Civility and Civil Dialogue in
Local Government
December 17, 2013
Bill Rizzo, Ph.D.
Professor and Local Government Specialist
University of Wisconsin-Extension
Local Government Center
608-265-6273
william.rizzo@ces.uwex.edu
Approaches to Local Governance
Today’s Local Governance
Environment
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Erosion of trust in government;
Cynicism toward government;
Diversity of citizens’ views;
Complex issues;
Polarization;
A breakdown in basic civility;
Traditional Local Governance Roles

Local officials – Issue framers, experts, analysts,
policy producers/decision-makers;
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Citizens – Voters, feedback providers, policy
consumers, policy consumers/reactors;

Community Organizations – Issue framers,
feedback providers, policy position advocates.
Traditional Local Governance
Challenges
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Wicked problems;
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How issues get named and framed;
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Getting sufficient perspective;
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Limitations of discussion and debate.
Problem Types
Problem
Type
Problem
Definition
Problem
Solution
Responsible
Parties
I
Clear
Clear
Expert
II
Clear
Unclear
Expert
Constituent
III
Unclear
Unclear
Various/
Collaboration
(Michael Huggins, Public Collaboration Associates, 2013)
Wicked Problems (Type III)
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Complex, interdependent issues
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Lack a clear problem definition
Conflicting values and perspectives
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Multiple stakeholders
No right or wrong, only better or worse
Key to success is collaboration & engagement
Collaborative Local Governance
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Addressing community issues as a community-wide
responsibility and activity
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elected officials, citizens, and community organizations all
have a role…and a responsibility…to address community issues
Assumptions
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Regardless of demographic makeup, communities are highly
diverse, in terms of needs and perspectives
The best local policy decisions are those which are wellinformed by the broadest set of perspectives, and which
address the broadest set of community needs
Collaborative Local Governance
Provides a Way…

...to address the challenge of wicked problems;

…to get citizens and civic organizations involved in
meaningful ways, to address community issues;

…to name & frame local issues, and deliberate
around alternative actions with a clearer picture of
community-wide needs & interests;
Collaborative Local Governance Roles
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Local Elected Officials
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Citizens
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Issue-namer and framer, convener, educator, dialogue
participant, deliberator, learner, public engagement
champion, decision-maker.
Issue-namer and framer, dialogue participant, deliberator,
learner, informer, voter.
Community-serving Organizations
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Issue-namer and framer, convener, dialogue participant,
deliberator, learner, educator.
Discussion Question

Do you have examples of “wicked” in
your community? How have you
addressed them? Examples can come from
any local jurisdiction – Town, Village,
City, or County government.

What approach to local governance do
you have in your community, and how is
it working?
Debate & Discussion vs.
Dialogue and Deliberation
Debate
Discussion
Dialogue
Deliberation
• Compete
• Argue
• Promote
Opinion
• See Majority
• Persuade/Dig
in
• Tight Structure
• Express
• Usually fast
• Clarifies
• Win/Lose
• Exchange
• Discuss
• Build
relationships
• Understand
• Reach across
• Loose structure
• Listen
• Usually slow
• Clarifies
• No decision
• Search for shared
meaning
• Inquire, explore,
discover
• Share stories,
perspectives, and
experiences
• Listen to learn
• Examine
assumptions
• Explore alternative
points of view
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Weigh alternatives
Choose
Make choices
Seek overlap
Seek common
ground
Flexible structure
Learn
Usually slow
Clarifies
Make decisions
Why Engage the Public More?
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Policies that accurately reflect the range of community
needs and interests;
Representative policy = supportable local policy;
Reduce conflict among interests;
Provides a way for experts to explain complex issues
and inform how people see and think about issues;
Reduce transaction and opportunity costs;
Provide safe, civil, spaces and means for people to talk
and learn from each other about issues and each other.
Citizen Engagement Values
International Association of Public Participation (IAP2)
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Public participation is based on the belief that those who are
affected by a decision have a right to be involved in the
decision-making process;
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Public participation includes the promise that the public's
contribution will influence the decision’\
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Public participation promotes sustainable decisions by
recognizing and communicating the needs and interests of
all participants, including decision makers.
Citizen Engagement Values
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Public participation seeks out and facilitates the involvement
of those potentially affected by or interested in a decision.
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Public participation seeks input from participants in
designing how they participate.
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Public participation provides participants with the
information they need to participate in a meaningful way.

Public participation communicates to participants how their
input affected the decision
Civility in Public Discourse
Civility isn’t a new idea
“Every action done in
company, ought to be with
some sign of respect, to
those that are present,”
George Washington (at age 16)
-Rule #1, 110 Rules of Civility and
Decent Behavior
What does the public think?

2010 Study by Allegheny College (PA) and
Indiana-Purdue University Ft. Wayne
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Random survey of 1000 Americans to
assess their attitudes and views around
civility in politics.
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95 % of Americans believe civility in politics is important for a
healthy democracy.
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87% of Americans suggest it is possible for people to disagree
about politics respectfully.
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Citizens paying close attention to politics are four times more
likely to say the tone of politics has gotten worse than those who
pay only modest attention to the news.
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Women define civility differently than men, and are more likely
to label recent public political behaviors as uncivil.
•
40% of Americans believe the least civil politicians should
suffer a “trip to the woodshed,”
•
32% said they should take a manners class with Emily Post;
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85% of Americans believe politicians should work to cultivate
friendships with members of the other party.
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63% of Americans say civility has gotten worse in the past few
years.
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Women are more likely to be turned off by negative politics
than are men.
It’s easy for incivility to develop!
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Lots of pressures…from everywhere;
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Issues are complex, difficult…wicked;
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A lot at stake for citizens, for
communities, for local officials personally;
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Frustration develops and tempers can
flare.
What’s the civility payoff?
A civil atmosphere makes it possible to
thoughtfully and effectively talk about, learn about,
consider, and leverage a wide range of ideas and
perspectives;
When leaders talk about issues effectively it
becomes possible to find solutions which might not
have otherwise surfaced.
New Jersey State League of
Municipalities
1.
Thou shalt not rudely interrupt a colleague
midsentence, nor “speak over” a colleague while
she/he is speaking;
2.
Thou shalt not assume that shrillness of tone is a
substitute for substantive dialogue;
3.
Thou shalt not resort to “zingers” designed solely to
embarrass your target;
New Jersey State League of
Municipalities
4.
Thou shalt not allow legitimate critique of policy and practice
to become a personal attack aimed at the person who devised
the policy or implements the practice;
5.
Thou shalt always recognize that your colleagues were also
elected, just as you were, and deserve the same level of respect
for having run and won;
6.
Thou shalt not ridicule or belittle a colleague, or a member of
the public, simply because he or she disagrees with you on an
issue.
A Synopsis of Civility Principles
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Tolerance
 respect and acknowledge the legitimacy of opposing views

Respectful Interaction
 no personal attacks, belittling, name calling, profanity, insults,
or disparaging remarks.
 no jumping to conclusions without knowing what is being
said or suggested
 no interrupting someone when they have the floor.
 does permit offering constructive criticism or politely
challenging one’s assumptions, both of which may serve to
enhance the policy dialogue.
A Synopsis of Civility Principles
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Listening
 to understand what someone else is saying
 to understand their views and interests
 to consider new information and become better informed
 Does not include gathering information to repudiate or
attack someone
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Compromise
 recognizing and accepting that the best decisions are often
necessarily a product of compromise where good-faith
attempts are made to integrate opposing interests
 focus is on the greatest public good
A Synopsis of Civility Principles
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Dialogue
 Examine assumptions and interests behind positions.
 Dialogue is deeper and more purposeful than discussion.
 The intended outcome is to ‘discover’ synergistic solutions.

Analysis and Deliberation
 The intent is to carefully examine as many facets of an
issue or problem as possible.
 The purpose is to craft a solution that serves the greatest
good.
Civility in Local Government
3 Examples from the Field
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Douglas County Board of Supervisors, WI)
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Evansville, WI
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Seminole County, FL
Citizen Engagement
Examples of Public
Engagement Strategies
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Issue-specific public learning events
Deliberation events, in-person and on-line
Study Circles
ChoiceWork Dialogue sessions
Consensus Conferences
Deliberative Polling
Issue Naming & Framing
Citizen Engagement Methods
IAP2 Toolbox
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Public participation tools and techniques;
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Organized around 3 public participation objectives:
1. Sharing information
2. Compiling and provide feedback
3. Bringing people together
Citizen Engagement
3 Examples from the Field
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Clear Vision, Eau Claire (WI)
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Sustainable Dubuque Initiative (IA)
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Lake St. Croix Nutrient Loading Project (WI, MN)
Leadership Opportunities for
Local Leaders
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If you’re an elected official, talk to your colleagues
If you’re not, talk to your elected officials
Start talking about collaborative governance locally
Start a local civility project
Become a trained dialogue facilitator
Tap into a network…read, learn, share
Convene an community issue dialogue, but start small
and with a popular but inert issue
Questions and Discussion
Civility and Civil Dialogue in
Local Government
December 17, 2013
Bill Rizzo
Professor and Local Government Specialist
University of Wisconsin-Extension
Local Government Center
608-265-6273
william.rizzo@ces.uwex.edu