By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Philadelphia City Council has a new staffer devoted to encouraging civic engagement. And he sees no contradiction between that goal and Council's own rules limiting public comment at its meetings.
Philadelphia's longtime consumer advocate, Lance Haver, has left the Nutter Administration to take a new City Council post: Director of Civic Engagement.
"What I hope to do is make is easier for people to participate," Haver says. "I thought if we pointed out how the citizens become engaged, it would help the legislative process, it would make us more democratic."
And Haver sees no conflict between the goal encouraging involvement and the City Council rule that limits public comment at meetings only to items that are up for a final vote that particular day.
"I don't think what I'm talking about is undisciplined responses to whatever pops into your head," he says. "What we're really trying to do is build community, build civic groups, build involvement in the legislative process."
Council, in fact, only offered the public the right to speak on agenda items after being ordered to do so by the state Supreme Court back in 2010. Haver says unrestricted public comment is not part of the civic engagement he's trying to foster.
"If you want to talk about what's going on in Nicaragua, God bless. But that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is how do we help the city, how do we shape policy so it serves all of us. Not so I get my one moment in the sun to talk about what's going on in the Ukraine," he says.
One of Haver's plans in his new position is to use software called Salsa to foster direct communication between community groups and City Council.
"It'll be more of an opportunity not just for them to hear from us," he says, "but for us to hear from them."
Haver earns $95,000 a year in his new position. A spokesperson for Council President Darrell Clarke says the salary will be paid for out of the budget of the Office of the President.
A spokesman for the mayor says the Nutter Administration intends to hire a new consumer advocate to replace Haver "as soon as possible."
Council's New Point Person on Civic Engagement OK with Council's Restrictions on Public Comment
/ CBS Philadelphia
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Philadelphia City Council has a new staffer devoted to encouraging civic engagement. And he sees no contradiction between that goal and Council's own rules limiting public comment at its meetings.
Philadelphia's longtime consumer advocate, Lance Haver, has left the Nutter Administration to take a new City Council post: Director of Civic Engagement.
"What I hope to do is make is easier for people to participate," Haver says. "I thought if we pointed out how the citizens become engaged, it would help the legislative process, it would make us more democratic."
And Haver sees no conflict between the goal encouraging involvement and the City Council rule that limits public comment at meetings only to items that are up for a final vote that particular day.
"I don't think what I'm talking about is undisciplined responses to whatever pops into your head," he says. "What we're really trying to do is build community, build civic groups, build involvement in the legislative process."
Council, in fact, only offered the public the right to speak on agenda items after being ordered to do so by the state Supreme Court back in 2010. Haver says unrestricted public comment is not part of the civic engagement he's trying to foster.
"If you want to talk about what's going on in Nicaragua, God bless. But that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is how do we help the city, how do we shape policy so it serves all of us. Not so I get my one moment in the sun to talk about what's going on in the Ukraine," he says.
One of Haver's plans in his new position is to use software called Salsa to foster direct communication between community groups and City Council.
"It'll be more of an opportunity not just for them to hear from us," he says, "but for us to hear from them."
Haver earns $95,000 a year in his new position. A spokesperson for Council President Darrell Clarke says the salary will be paid for out of the budget of the Office of the President.
A spokesman for the mayor says the Nutter Administration intends to hire a new consumer advocate to replace Haver "as soon as possible."
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