Make Your City Council Meetings Feel Like a Starbucks
If You Want Folks to Show Up, Gather Some Comfy Chairs, Serve Coffee, Maybe Even Pour Drinks
Would your community be better off if your city council met at the local Starbucks?
The answer is almost certainly yes. Compared to people in other states, few Californians talk to their neighbors and work together with them to solve local problems. But the most natural forums to meet with neighbors on community challenges—local meetings of the city council or school boards—aren’t designed to encourage conversation among citizens.
Walk into a council chamber or school board meeting room in your town, and you’ll likely see rows of chairs facing some sort of …
