by Matt Leighninger

The following is a preview of one of the topics to be covered during the Leadership Training Institute seminars at the Congress of Cities and Exposition in Reno, Nev., Dec. 5-9.

In the nation?s increasingly diverse cities, two things are clear: It is difficult to govern ? and particularly hard to reach large numbers of people ? unless local leaders can talk, act and organize in truly inclusive ways; and it is hard to make a community more inclusive unless local leaders can reach out to large numbers of people.

As many local leaders realize, inclusiveness and democratic governance are intertwined.

Over the last 20 years, local officials have shown that inclusiveness and democratic governance share many of the same techniques, best practices and guiding principles. Some of these officials started out with an interest in reducing racism and other forms of prejudice; others started out by trying to involve their constituents in other kinds of policy decisions, in areas like land use, education and public finance. Along the way, they discovered and developed many of the same ideas. 

?It is a big step to involve large numbers of people in more intensive ways,? says Bev Perry, city clerk of Brea, Calif. ?It can be pretty scary, at least at first. But our efforts have brought our city together, made citizens feel more responsible for what happens in the community, and changed the way people feel about their city government ? they take ownership for it.?

Fostering inclusiveness and building democratic governance, requires some of the same key skills. These skills include:

? Recruiting large numbers of people of all different backgrounds, and reaching well beyond the ?usual suspects? who are typically involved in local politics;

? Involving those people in meetings and events, which get them talking to one another about the issues and policy options facing the community;

? Giving people the chance to talk about their backgrounds and why they care about the issue and their community;

? Presenting different arguments and options, so that people get an informed opportunity to decide what they think; and

? Inspiring citizens to take action themselves on public priorities ? preventing crime, improving the schools and welcoming newcomers to the community ? rather than simply making recommendations that government must implement alone.

While many communities have used these techniques as part of temporary organizing efforts, a select few have been able to embed them into long-term governance structures. Officials in places like San Jos?, Calif.; Dayton, Ohio; and Burien, Wash., are at the forefront of this work.

Sharing the responsibilities of governance means being open about differences as well as similarities.
For NLC President James Hunt, councilmember, Clarksburg, W.Va., that is a key part of the message.

?If we can get better at dealing with difference, we can tap into more of the strengths and assets of our communities,? Hunt said.

Details: The ?Building Inclusive Communities Through Democratic Governance? Leadership Training seminar will take place Tuesday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information or to register for Leadership Training Institute seminars, visit www.nlc.org.

Matt Leighninger is the author of ?The Next Form of Democracy: How Expert Rule is Giving Way to Shared Governance ? and Why Politics Will Never Be the Same.?