Residents voice views at forum

Divided into pairs, 100 people interviewed each other about their values and how to create a more positive political process. They smiled, laughed, gestured earnestly, looked concerned and listened intently during the community discussion held on Wednesday night in the Historic Ashland Armory.

Hosted by the Ashland Coalition — a diverse group of organizations — the event brought together several Ashland city councilors, members of city commissions, business owners, community volunteers, activists, young adults, parents, retirees, people who have become disenchanted with the political process and those wanting to find out how they can get involved.

With its focus on the positive and talking face-to-face, the forum was different than most meetings where people come forward one by one to vent their frustrations before a crowd.

Resident Austin Peterson said he was a little dubious about the process at first, but he ended up feeling that it could help move the community toward a more collaborative approach.

Hanya Zwick, who has lived here for a year and is starting to explore what roles she can take on to support the community, said she met people from many different walks of life during the evening. After the pairs interviewed each other, each individual described the other person's views during roundtable discussions with about eight people.

"When we interviewed each other and then had to report to the other people, we had to take on each other's perspective," she said. "That generates change within ourselves."

People at the different tables reported back to the group as a whole what themes and values had emerged.

Even the process of deciding what to share from a table discussion was valuable, Zwick said.

"It created common ground. It was what eight people could agree on. It tempered the outlying ideas and arrived at the core values," she said.

If the Wednesday night meeting is any indication, Ashland residents are yearning for change.

Many supported the idea that community members need to listen to each other, rather than planning their rebuttals when their chance to speak arrives.

Community goals

Understanding that residents have numerous common values, despite their differences, could help the political process, they said.

One of those values is protecting Ashland's small town character, because it is that small scale that allows people to feel they can make a difference on an individual level. Other values include maintaining the town's dedication to parks and open space, and preparing for environmental change.

Many people agreed that conflict is a healthy part of the process, but that people should accept and respect outcomes forged through cooperative effort.

Rather than dwelling on the negative, people should spend more time celebrating community successes, recognizing that the town is a relatively safe place and appreciating the quality schools and residents who lend their time, enthusiasm and skills to making the town a great place to live, many participants pointed out.

Several residents of Medford and other cities said they come to Ashland because it is a welcoming, open place with numerous cultural opportunities and unique businesses.

Many Ashlanders called for more intergenerational communication, developing a written plan for the community's future, making the political process more accessible and less time-consuming, tapping residents' expertise and passion, idealistic but not ideological leaders, outreach to get people involved and developing relationships of trust between the public and elected officials through mutual respect.

Reaction

City Councilor Russ Silbiger, who is a member of the Ashland Coalition, said he was glad to see so many different people turn out for the meeting.

"I think we're learning how to get larger, more diverse audiences. People who are looking to get involved are coming in and getting ideas," he said.

The Ashland Coalition has held previous public forums on topics such as community policing.

City Councilor David Chapman said the best part of the night was getting to know people he had never met before. He also welcomed the positive tone.

"Usually at council meetings, we hear negative input.

People usually get involved when there is something they don't like," he said. "These were people coming up with positive ideas."

Report

Ashland Coalition member Dennis Slattery, a professor in Southern Oregon University's School of Business, said he plans to prepare a report about the meeting to be delivered to the City Council, the Ashland Chamber of Commerce and local newspapers. Participants at the meeting were invited to leave their contact information so they could receive updates on the process.

Slattery said he would be happy to meet with groups to share the results of Wednesday's meeting. He can be reached at slatterd@sou.edu.

"I've made a pledge to report back out to people who want to see results so it doesn't stop here," he said.

The Ashland Coalition includes representatives from the public, the Ashland Chamber of Commerce, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Southern Oregon University, the Ashland School District, the city of Ashland, Ashland Community Hospital, Community Works and the faith community.

Staff writer Vickie Aldous can be reached at 479-8199 or vlaldous@yahoo.com. To post a comment, visit www.dailytidings.com.