Public Consultation – Staff feel threatened

An article in today’s Telegraph Journal talks about the Rockwood Park land use consultation from a few weeks ago and indicates that City staff felt threatened by an angry populous.

Clearly City officials should not be made to feel like they are in physical danger when they meet with the public.  That said, angry citizens should have a chance to talk, and perhaps consultations should be set up in a way that lets contrarians speak without creating too much of a confrontational environment. This might require additional expectation management – if people came into meetings knowing what was to be discussed and the framework in which talks would take place, they might be less likely to shout and interrupt when a conversation doesn’t go the way they want.

Councilor Higgins, who was at the event, seems to discount an eminent threat posed by Rockwood Park defenders, quoting in the TJ as saying:

“If we were to ask the police officer what was the most outstanding thing she [had] to deal with, she would say the corny jokes of Coun. Bruce Court”

and

“I think this is inflammatory to the public that we want to get out and have their say. Maybe some staff are afraid to have public consultations and are OK behind closed doors”

It’s a shame that police have to be stationed at events, but if this is needed to keep people safe, I suggest the cost of having a cop at the door is probably worth it.  I would rather see a consultation that is a little tense be allowed to continue, rather than leaving public input to only questionnaires and online protestation.