Clear Vision Eau Claire

Community Visioning

Strategic Planning

Public Work

Eau Claire

• 66,000 population, 95,000 in Chippewa Valley

• Regional center for health, retail, education, manufacturing

• 15 (separate) local municipal governments

• 12 school districts• 3 special Lake districts

Participatory Model of Citizenship

• Promotes collaborative problem-solving• Incorporates diverse perspectives & views• Promotes public dialogue• Creates open, public spaces• Restructures mediating institutions• Citizens as primary actors in public

problem-solving

Clear Vision Eau Claire: Initial Goals

• Increase the level of citizen participation in community problem-solving

• Reverse the current sense of disconnectedness by citizens

• Build a community consensus for priority action

• Generate a vision for the Eau Claire community

Phase I: Initial Planning

• $40,000 pledged • National Civic League

Consultant/Planner• 10 Community meetings, open to all,

generated core group of 150 representative members

• 15 group initiating committee

Phase II: Stakeholder Planning

• Initiating committee planned year-long process

• 500 Stakeholders identified and invited• Public meetings every 3-4 weeks• Meet directly with some minority

communities, such as the Hmong• Plan produced in June 2008

Clear Vision Plan: Six Key Performance Areas

• Civic Engagement• Economic Development• Lifelong Learning• Community-Wide Health Care • Quality of Life, now and for future • Integrated Transportation System

Phase III: Implementation (Public Work)

• Contract with Center for Democracy and Citizenship

• Training sessions for “coaches” and implementation team members

• Facilitating “public work”• Techniques of Values House Meeting,

One-to-Ones, Power-Mapping, & Coaching using Public Achievement Model

Successes

• Parks & Recreation: Financing Public Parks

• Jobs Map, Resources Map• University-Assisted Community Schools

and Book Distribution• Eco-teams, Eco-communities• Regional Transportation and High

Speed Rail Route

Challenges

• Changing perspectives—public government or schools cannot do it all in an era of declining support

• Recruiting diverse and inclusive core group; keeping individuals and KPAs energized, supported, appreciated, and renewed

• Deciding what to be when we grow up?• Marketing

Future Plans

• Diversity and Latino/Latina community• RTA Work Group• Civic Engagement Work Group• Public Achievement• Public Work Training for Elected

Officials (6-29-2010)

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