We will never stop being advocates for public involvement in our city’s affairs. Often times elected officials are in a bit of a bubble and need to hear from everyday citizens in order to get them out of that bubble. Besides, civic involvement is the high tier from which you have every right to complain about politics!
Scottsdale has been a relative beacon of citizen involvement recently, with numerous opportunities to offer feedback on initiatives and projects, and this is further exemplified by its recent implementation of Speak Up, Scottsdale. It’s a “a new online community designed to foster continuous, meaningful conversation among residents, businesses and the city”.
This was all part of the Scottsdale General Plan 2035, the voter-approved initiative meant to build and implement a proper growth plan to guide the city into the future. Built into it were designed solicitations for feedback from all stakeholders, a welcome change from typical top-down initiatives from many other major cities.
According to the city’s press release, the new forum will be a “hosted online platform that allows participants to contribute their insights, opinions and feedback about city initiatives, local issues, civic matters and services”. It will be found quite conveniently at SpeakUpScottsdale.com.
A city is at its greatest when the citizenry has bought into its progress. Leaders can make good decisions, but if it’s not in concert with the constituency, then progress can only go so far. It’s vital that you weigh in on the issues that impact you the most, and in that spirit we hope that you make your voice heard via Speak Up Scottsdale.