Citizen Engagement efforts receive National Attention
Ever wonder how Montgomery matches up with other cities in getting residents involved? “The City of Montgomery provides a wide range of citizen engagement activities; none of the 29 municipalities (nationwide) surveyed matched the City’s efforts in this area.” So began the findings of the leadership team of the International City and County Managers Association. This group consisting of city managers and senior staff from Nebraska, Tennessee, Georgia and California traveled to Montgomery in April, May and June to review the City’s citizen engagement activities, compare these efforts with other cities nationwide, meet with a sampling of residents and recommend next steps to further our work in this area.
The final report recognized that Montgomery’s community building efforts were not just about the local government.
“Montgomery is using a broader definition of getting citizens engaged in the work of the community through active involvement of the neighborhood associations, schools, civic organizations, service organizations and local government”
Most impressive were the comments surrounding The Montgomery Citizens’ Leadership Academy (MCLA). The report clearly singles out MCLA as being the catalyst for much of the community building over the last 3 years. The report highlights some citizen comments.
“As an MCLA graduate, I have another set of friends; I feel more connected to my community and my government”
Or merely, “MCLA is a social engine”