Assembly of citizens

Queen’s prof proposes unique approach to size of council problem

Jonathan Rose has a novel idea about how the County might work through its near-decadeold swamp known as the size of council. Actually his notion—that of a citizens’ assembly to solve a public policy question, isn’t new at all but rather draws its inspiration from early civilizations.

Rose’s particular technique, however, is only sporadically used in modern policy making and rarely if at all in municipal policy making settings. He would like this to change and would like Prince Edward County to lead the way.

Specifically Rose proposes mailing 2,000 invitations to participate in a citizens’ assembly to review the size of council and system of representation. Of those invitations he expects, based on previous experience, to receive about 300 back.

County officials would pick 24 names at random from the 300 or so responses. The random nature of selection is a key element in his approach. Rose, along with County officials, would then balance the field to reflect demographic considerations, residency and other characteristics. Once selected these 24 individuals would, over the course of about eight days spread over a couple months, be educated on the issues, the arguments and the challenges. Then they would deliberate amongst themselves, guided by Rose toward a recommendation. The resulting solution would be based not upon confronting differing positions, but starting from a clear understanding of the values the participants aspire to in their local government.

CITIZEN POLICY MAKING
Rose was deeply involved in the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform in Ontario in 2007. That assembly worked through the various options and concluded that a Mixed Member Proportional model would work best in this province. But when put to the people in a ballot question of its own, 63 per cent of respondents voted to leave the system as it was.

While he regrets that the Citizens’ Assembly recommendation wasn’t adopted, he is a believer in the process to deliver a workable solution.

The assumption, Rose says, is that the average person isn’t interested in how government works. It’s a wrong assumption.

“Some people tell me its like winning a lottery,” said Rose, describing the reaction of some chosen to participate in the assembly. “People want the opportunity but we don’t give them that opportunity. People take this very seriously.”

Then he said the thing that likely dooms his chances of winning the assignment. He told council that in order for a citizens’ assembly to work, council must trust the opinion of the average man or woman.

That’s likely a showstopper.

Some councillors cling mightily to the position that County voters elected them to make decisions—not hand that capacity over to 24 folks chosen at random. Many of the same folks who deny the legitimacy of the ballot question vote, sit in council seats earned with a smaller proportion of eligible voters than those who wanted a review of the size of council.