Celebrating Citizenship: Participatory Democracy

American citizens, whether by birthright or naturalization, under the protection of civil rights laws or despite broken treaties and other hurdles, have opportunities undreamed of in many parts of the world to participate in their community\’s life. Sadly, only a few of us take up the challenge and take on the responsibility of doing so.

But democracy, to work, relies on the participation of its citizens — the word itself means “government by people.” And those people are not just the names you see in the news, like City Council members — they\’re your neighbors, friends, relatives, business owners and others in the community. In other words, government by people means people like you.

How many really participate? The United States has one of the lowest voting rates of any developed democracy, with scarcely half the eligible citizens bothering to vote in national elections and as few as ten percent showing up at the polls in other years. Even among citizens who take the trouble to register and then cast their ballots, there are few who participate actively in the life of their community beyond Election Day.

Yet American cities and towns are among the few places in the world where anyone can have a real, direct, and measurable influence on the place we live. In addition to elective offices that are, theoretically, available to anyone who wishes to run, there are appointed seats on public boards and commissions that affect everything from our schools, streets, parks, development, to all sorts of social and cultural issues. Most of these appointments are unpaid, but they don\’t demand an unreasonable commitment of time and effort. Public boards and commissions generally meet once a month or once every other month, usually for one or two hours at most. That\’s less time than many of us put in serving on committees for our places of worship or even in helping arrange block parties, attending school meetings, or other activities.

Minority communities are especially underrepresented in civic life. Look at the city\’s and county\’s boards and commissions, or even at the boards of directors of private nonprofit organizations, and you see the names of very few, if any, African Americans, Hispanics, Ukrainians, Cherokee, or other nonwhite individuals.

Some might assume that bias is to blame, but that\’s unlikely, certainly in appointments by a city council headed by an African American mayor. A more pertinent reason is that few members of minority communities put their names in for consideration for appointment. Even a group in favor of affirmative action (or even quotas) is hard put to choose a nonwhite board member if every applicant is white.

Several times each year the city of Asheville publicizes openings on its boards and commissions. This month\’s postings include three boards and one committee that should be of interest to anyone concerned with the aspects of our community life that they address. These and other boards and commissions are open to every citizen. You probably won\’t be appointed just because you apply — but if you don\’t apply, you can be sure you won\’t be.

It\’s your democracy, your “government by people.” But it works for you only if you are willing to work for it. Demonstrate your commitment to your community, so the people who make appointment decisions know who you are and what you stand for. Talk with your neighbors and friends, contact your elected officials, attend meetings of the boards and commissions that interest you, learn how they operate and what they do, and volunteer to help.

The more we all participate, the more we have to celebrate. 

Community Action Opportunities (formerly Opportunity Corporation of Madison and Buncombe Counties). The mission of the Corporation is to be an efficient provider of services to economically disadvantaged people within our community. Asheville\’s minority communities have a far higher percentage of economically disadvantaged people than the white community. While there are many reasons for this disparity — lack of job opportunities, lack of education, single-parent families, a history of discrimination — the fact is that the services CAO provides are desperately needed. Strong and diverse board representation from the communities most impacted by financial need will help direct the services where they\’ll do the most good. Application deadline is August 10.

Community & Economic Development Alliance: “This Committee manages and monitors the implementation of the HUB Project Plan by leveraging Buncombe County‘s unique assets to attract, create and expand business opportunities while improving the well-being of our citizens.” The Hub Project is a consolidated effort by public, private and nonprofit participants to create sustainable community building options for Asheville and Buncombe County that will strengthen its role as the regional economic engine, or "hub" of WNC. For anyone interested in community development, this is a board that will grow in importance and impact. No deadline is listed, but City Council will appoint four members from the community to this board. If you are interested in serving, please apply ASAP by completing the application form at www.ashevillenc.gov/forms/boards.pdf

Planning and Zoning Commission. The commission is an advisory board to City Council. Residents of every community from Shiloh to Beaver Lake to West Asheville have had to deal with problems of growth and development. High density housing, low-income apartments, affordable housing, lack of infrastructure, and overburdened roads and water systems are all issues that neighborhoods face when new buildings are planned. Often enough, residents don\’t learn about upcoming development until it\’s too late to do anything about it. By participating in advance planning, they can have a say in what happens in their neighborhood while there\’s still time to make a difference. Application Deadline is August 10.

Education Access Channel Commission. This Commission will oversee the management and programming of the Education Access Channel and will work with the education community to achieve this task. One of three public channels provided by Charter Communications under its franchise agreement with the city of Asheville, the education channel is a crucial link in the community\’s education efforts. Who will make sure that programming is aimed at students and families across the board? Who will work to schedule Spanish or Ukrainian programs that reach out to non-English speaking adults and offer opportunities for young, bi-lingual children to learn better? Who will make sure that programming reflects the diversity of the area\’s population, with children of Cherokee and African American and other ethnic backgrounds appearing regularly? Everyone with a child or grandchild in school should care what the Education Access Channel shows on your television. Application Deadline is September 14.

If you need more information or just want to discuss participating on a board with a City Council member, call the City Clerk\’s Office at 259-5601 for a Council member\’s phone number or for an application to apply.