STEER LOCAL POLICY OUTCOMES FROM THE CONVENIENCE OF YOUR OWN COUCH!!

Dear Santa Cruz County Residents:

Public participation rates in local government policy dialogues are abysmal. But, why? In a 2022 Pew Research report, 65% of surveyed adults believe that all or most people running for office do so to serve their personal interests while only 21% believe they do so to serve their communities (“representation”). It would be natural that such distrust in local leadership would spur a more interventionist approach ("need") by residents into the policy dialogue. Yet, this does not happen for two primary reasons: (1) the resistance of elected leaders to more equally share the policy podium with the electorate due to perceived threats to power (“threat”) and (2) the historical barriers erected by local governments to curtail those threats, thereby preventing the public from gaining easier access to the policy podium (“voice”).  This access problem becomes far worse for underrepresented segments such as minorities, young voters and low-income residents.

So, why is this important and why should it be addressed?

Greater inclusivity of resident voices allows local communities to steer toward policy choices that better reflect the composition of the community itself and to address its unique set of needs rather than those of a small core who have disproportionately and exclusively intervened in the policy-making apparatuses of the past and present.

To address these barriers, enter the ECHO web application (www.e-democracy-now.com). ECHO is an advanced communications interface shared between a local elected representative and a constituency (voters, stakeholders) within a specific voting district. ECHO’s overarching goals are twofold: (1) to stimulate greater resident inclusion (access) and retention (frequency, longevity) in the local policy dialogue and (2) to dynamically model and regularly deliver to the elected leader the public consensus in a way that best conveys the Public Will of the people. ECHO delivers these twin goals through: (1) resident empowerment in local decisions that affect them, (2) the equal treatment and platforming of resident voices (pitches), (3) the convenience, mobility and ease-of-use of the solution, (4) the zero cost of its utilization, (5) the gamification (retention) of the user experience, (6) the exposure (transparency, accountability) of the Public Will for all to see, (7) the greater social cohesion attributed to consensus modeling at both the group and district levels and (8) the free marketplace of ideas vying with one another to win the hearts and minds of the local populace within a fair, equal and competitive framework. 

 In short, ECHO intends to topple the historical barriers that have limited accessibility (“voice”) without usurping the legal authorities of elected bodies (“threat”).

I urge you to join me in supporting the ECHO pilot study. This will aid us to obtain County and State grants to pursue this pilot study. You can help by signing our petition, asking your friends to sign it, SPREADING THE WORD on social media, and asking your representative to participate in it. We are seeking City Council and/or Board of Supervisor members (2-3) who wish to join the study along with small contingents (50-100) of their constituencies. 

I truly appreciate your support to help us in our mission to create a more inclusive and transparent Santa Cruz County community that better reflects the values and cultures of the people living within it.

Sincerely,

Greg Hyver

President

First Amendment Rights Preservation Society, Inc. (501c3)

A Grassroots Nonprofit

Santa Cruz, CA

www.linkedin.com/in/greghyver