1. Clear Vision Eau Claire Community Visioning Strategic Planning Public Work

2. Eau Claire • 66,000 population, 95,000 in Chippewa Valley • Regional center for health, retail, education, manufacturing • 15 (separate) local municipal governments • 12 school districts • 3 special Lake districts

3. Participatory Model of Citizenship • Promotes collaborative problem-solving • Incorporates diverse perspectives & views • Promotes public dialogue • Creates open, public spaces • Restructures mediating institutions • Citizens as primary actors in public problem-solving

4. Clear Vision Eau Claire: Initial Goals • Increase the level of citizen participation in community problem-solving • Reverse the current sense of disconnectedness by citizens • Build a community consensus for priority action • Generate a vision for the Eau Claire community

5. Phase I: Initial Planning • $40,000 pledged • National Civic League Consultant/Planner • 10 Community meetings, open to all, generated core group of 150 representative members • 15 group initiating committee

6. Phase II: Stakeholder Planning • Initiating committee planned year-long process • 500 Stakeholders identified and invited • Public meetings every 3-4 weeks • Meet directly with some minority communities, such as the Hmong • Plan produced in June 2008

7. Clear Vision Plan: Six Key Performance Areas • Civic Engagement • Economic Development • Lifelong Learning • Community-Wide Health Care • Quality of Life, now and for future • Integrated Transportation System

8. Phase III: Implementation (Public Work) • Contract with Center for Democracy and Citizenship • Training sessions for “coaches” and implementation team members • Facilitating “public work” • Techniques of Values House Meeting, One-to-Ones, Power-Mapping, & Coaching using Public Achievement Model

9. Successes • Parks & Recreation: Financing Public Parks • Jobs Map, Resources Map • University-Assisted Community Schools and Book Distribution • Eco-teams, Eco-communities • Regional Transportation and High Speed Rail Route

10. Challenges • Changing perspectives—public government or schools cannot do it all in an era of declining support • Recruiting diverse and inclusive core group; keeping individuals and KPAs energized, supported, appreciated, and renewed • Deciding what to be when we grow up? • Marketing

11. Future Plans • Diversity and Latino/Latina community • RTA Work Group • Civic Engagement Work Group • Public Achievement • Public Work Training for Elected Officials (6-29-2010)

12. Stuck on an Escalator? Try Public Work!