SAVE Commission's findings - La Follette School of Public Affairs ...

Text
The number before the decimal refers
to the Goal number. The number
after the decimal refers to its order
within the Goal section.
The voice of a Commission
member or citizen.
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
Enumerated
Actions
CHAPTER 1: CITIZENS WITH GREAT CAPACITY
GOAL #1: (PREAMBLE) COMMITTED
CITIZENSHIP
1.1
Conduct a citizen responsibility dialogue. To
celebrate Wisconsin’s sesquicentennial, debate
the responsibilities and rights of citizenship,
focused on the development of a “Bill of Citizen
Responsibilities” to go with the Bill of
Rights.
1.2
Use technology to promote citizen involvement.
To revive committed citizenship in a
high-tech age, create increased opportunities
for citizens to take part in government at all
levels by using high-tech communications
tools provided through the new Public Information
Utility.
1.3
Promote volunteerism. To reinforce
Wisconsin’s neighborliness, a culture of volunteering
should be revived and recognized
in all communities. Given the proper climate,
protections and removal of barriers, the people
have a capacity to help each other without
expert intervention.
1.4
Find neutral ground to reduce distrust and
resolve conflicts. To counter distrust, contentiousness
and fragmentation found among
various Wisconsin interests, consider designating
“neutral ground” that provides an opportunity
for factions that distrust each other to
have a positive discussion. This will require a
place or places that are neither state nor local,
young nor old, black nor white, tribal nor nontribal,
public nor private. The location is a place
for mediation, negotiation, conflict resolution
and planning.
1.5
News media should nurture civic debate. To
promote informed and productive discussion
of public issues, the news media should reject
personality, conflict-driven journalism in favor
of civic journalism.
GOAL #2: EFFECTIVE LEADERS
2.1
Develop a Public Leadership Institute and network.
To create a government that helps build
the capacity of its workers and citizens and a
citizenry involved in public service, create a
Public Leadership Institute and network to
help full- and part-time leaders better advance
their skills as they advance and continue in
government service.
2.2
Incorporate a leadership philosophy in the
management system. To ensure enduring
change and continuous improvement, unequivocally
incorporate a leadership philosophy
in Wisconsin’s entire system of government.
A leadership government emphasizes
results and partnerships, visionary thinking
and quality management, rather than process
and control.
2.3
Prepare managers as mission-driven leaders.
To achieve a mission-driven organization, and
as part of the flattening of the hierarchy, train
middle management in leadership and coaching.
Managers will translate vision into outcomes
and work tasks in a changing world of
ambiguous authority where employees and
employer are a team.
GOAL #3: NEW WISCONSIN IDEA
3.1
Link the Department of Development and UW
System for economic development. To seize
the competitive moment in the knowledge
economy, the Department of Development
should use the UW as an ongoing resource in
the implementation of a strategy to use the
state’s knowledge capacity to generate wealth
from global markets (see Goal #9).
3.2
Create a state dialogue to reinvent citizenship.
To create a new citizenship ideal, the
entire state should join in an effort to reinvent
citizenship, including a citizenship ethic and
60 CITIZEN • C OMMUNITY • G OVERNMENT— WISCONSIN: THE21 ST C ENTURY
WISCONSIN’S “THIRD SECTOR”
In addition to public and private sectors,
there is a third sector with untapped capacity.
The third sector involves a myriad of civil enterprises:
religious, educational, voluntary, business,
labor and charitable organizations. These
are the voluntary associations
unique to our
culture but which all
too often are pushed
into the shadows by formal
government with
bureaucratic programs.
There is no way
government can, or
even should, meet all
needs, just as there is no
way the helpless should
be abandoned by government
in a civil society. The Commission
asked questions about what government should
and should not do and if “it” still needed to be
done, who would do it? The third sector may
have some answers.
Wisconsin can build on the citizenship
principles shared through the Public Leadership
Institute and network to find new opportunities
for self-reliant activity in many subjects
and at many levels (see Goal #4). Leaders and
taxpayers also will have the fiscal information
needed to make better decisions on who can
best do the job at every level (see Goals #5 and
#16).
“Think about bold goals for the
sesquicentennial in 1988.
Perhaps a new charter between
the state and people.
Something big.”
David Prosser, Legislator
NOTICEABLY BETTER DIALOGUE
For citizens to have confidence in the system
they have to participate in it. Using new
tele-democracy technology provided by the
Information Utility, citizens will have new opportunities
to access all levels of government,
as well as their neighborhoods,
through free
computer networks.
Citizens will debate issues
by electronic town
meetings and solve
common problems
through video conferences.
Who will frame
the questions and lead
the dialogue? That is
the elected official’s responsibility.
In the old way, the official and government
employee made (often excessive)
promises and delivered programs. The new way
has the citizen sharing responsibility (see Goal
#4) and the elected official realistically framing
expectations through programs that have measurable
results.
The role of the media will change. It will
independently and thoughtfully raise public
agenda issues and report the debate in a way
that rejects personality-driven reporting that
now focuses on conflict over consensus. The
transformation to this so-called civic journalism
approach that looks in-depth at public issues
will challenge politicians to be thoughtful
and the media to be responsible.
Actions
1.1
Conduct a citizen
responsibility dialogue.
1.2.
Use technology to
promote citizen
involvement.
1.3.
Promote volunteerism.
1.4.
Find neutral ground to
reduce distrust and
resolve conflicts.
1.5.
News media should
nurture civic debate.
Daniel J. Katers,
Green Bay
“Voter apathy is a
disgrace. We have failed
to stress the importance
of participation in
government.”
Succinct description of actions
recommended by the Commission.
Further information can be found in
Appendix A, in selected documents
identified in Appendix F, and support
readings in Appendix G.
R E S U L T S
Moving to
citizenship will:
1 Make the process of state
government more accountable
to citizens.
2 Make the employees of the
State of Wisconsin more aware
of characteristics, beliefs and
perspectives of citizens.
3 Make state government more
flexible, productive and
respectful in its interactions with
citizens.
4 Make the products and
character of Wisconsin
government reflect the
responsibilities as well as the
needs and rights of citizens.
5 Renew the compact between
citizen and government and
increase the impact citizens
have on government.
6 Make government more cost
effective in the long run due to
more citizen involvement and
volunteerism. It will provide
taxpayers the services they are
willing to pay for as well as what
they want.
7 Establish the preconditions for
the ongoing reinvention of state
government, driven by continual
citizen interaction.
Compelling results of the actions
envisioned for the bottom-line
minded person. Results will reflect
saving money, solving problems or
enhancing the capacity of the state to
move into the 21st Century.
CITIZEN •C OMMUNITY • G OVERNMENT— WISCONSIN: THE21 ST C ENTURY 13
CITIZEN • COMMUNITY • GOVERNMENT — WISCONSIN: THE 21 ST CENTURY 11