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How does Alexandria's city government handle a controversial issue — and does it actually listen when residents weigh in?
That's the question Agenda:Alexandria has put to a four-person panel at its upcoming Monday, Sept. 28, program, "Civic Engagement, Trust, Responsiveness, and an Open City Government."
The discussion is built around two halves of the same problem: how the city takes input from the community, and how much visibility it gives residents into the way decisions actually get made. Organizers say the panel will dig into the tension between moving complicated policy forward and leaving room for public comment that is genuinely diverse — and sometimes genuinely divisive — along the way.
The panelists were chosen to come at that from four directions: City Hall, organized civic groups, the press and a neighboring jurisdiction.
- Alethea Predeoux, Alexandria deputy city manager
- Scott Corzine, chair of the Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations
- Michael Pope, author, journalist and podcaster
- Erika Moore, Arlington assistant county manager and director of communications and public engagement
Former Agenda: Alexandria Chair Rod Kuckro will moderate.
For residents who have ever sat through a public hearing wondering whether their three minutes at the microphone changed anything, the practical takeaway may be the most useful part: the panel is expected to cover how community members can get their voices heard, and what an honest, trust-building relationship between residents and City Hall would look like.
Attendees can send questions ahead of time to civic-engagement-questions@agendaalexandria.org.
If you go
The program begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, in The Forum on the Minnie Howard campus, 3775 W. Braddock Road. Admission is free for current Agenda:Alexandria members and $10 at the door for everyone else.
Memberships run $50 a year for individuals and $80 for families, are tax-deductible, and can be purchased on the Agenda: Alexandria website.
Agenda:Alexandria is a nonpartisan forum that bills itself as "looking at the issues without taking sides."
