Planning Commissioners Journal

Commission Members Can Also Be Leaders

2009-11-05T10:52:47-05:00

Tip 16 of 25
from Elaine Cogan

In the previous Tip, I wrote about leadership and the importance of strong chairs. Their keen facilitation skills are vital to the success of each planning board meeting, and to the planning process itself.

But there is only one chair -- there are many members -- and most of us probably never will be or even aspire to that role. Moreover, even the best chair cannot do it alone. Everyone is important to the success and smooth functioning of the planning board. Members do themselves and their community a disservice if they just sit back, speak only when spoken to, or are otherwise passive.

In many ways, the roles of planning board members are more subtle and not as easily defined as that of the chair. They do not have the title nor, for that matter, the gavel to give them authority. However, if they are willing to be thoughtful and reasoned participants, they will make important contributions to the proceedings. How, then, can planning board members be most effective?

Prepare yourself. Read all the pertinent written material, beforehand, review anything you do not understand with the planning director, and be ready with constructive questions or comments at the meeting.

Arrive on time so you can get your papers and thoughts in order.

Participate actively. Listen carefully to the presentations and comments of others and join in with remarks of substance that advance the discussion.

Help out the chair but don't take over. You need not suffer silently if a weak or indecisive chair impedes discussion or the ability of the board to make decisions. There are several actions you can take that do not usurp the chair's authority but help keep things moving. Remind everyone of the time constraints ("according to our agenda, we have just five more minutes before the next item"), or sum up what has been said, followed by a recommendation or a motion. Finally, at the first opportunity, choose a more capable chair.

Be an expert -- but not a know-it-all. Effective commissioners wisely take time to become more informed than the other members on a select number of subjects. However, even then, do not assume you know everything. Be open, and willing to consider the opinions of others. If you have to disagree with staff, commission members, or the public, be sure you have the correct information.

Watch your body language. Bored by the proceedings? Angry at the chair for cutting you off? Upset with the public for haranguing the commission unfairly? Resorting to facial expressions that show displeasure, drumming your fingers on the table, crossing your arms -- are strong signals you should avoid.

Above all enjoy yourself and show it with humor and goodwill. As a planning commissioner, you are performing a task very important to the well-being of your community. The occasional slings and arrows should be worth your time and effort.

We're pleased to be posting over the next half-year, on a weekly basis every Wednesday, PCJ columnist Elaine Cogan's 25 tips for planning commissioners from her excellent Now That You're on Board publication.

We hope this will provide a convenient opportunity for planning commissioners and other "citizen planners" to benefit from Cogan's years' of experience in working with communities. The complete attractively-designed, spiral-bound, Now That You're on Board publication is also available for purchase and delivery by mail.

Using Your Time Wisely: Our November Special Offer

2009-11-02T10:58:33-05:00

Articles that can help you and your planning commission function more effectively -- available only as a .pdf download.

Also for this month only, you can order Using Your Time Wisely AND receive a copy of Elaine Cogan's Now that You're on Board: How to Survive ... and Thrive ... as a Planning Commissioner at 50% off its regular price.

Using Your Time Wisely includes:

Meeting Formats Should Follow their Functions

Making the Most of Your Meeting Time

Are You Organized for Business?

Consider the Committee

Retreat? Advance?

Decision Making

The Endemic Problem of Information Overload

Use this button to order & download Using Your Time Wisely for just $10. For our Special Offer of Using Your Time Wisely & Elaine Cogan's Now that You're Onboard, see the information below.

Use this button to order & download Using Your Time Wisely, and receive by mail Elaine Cogan's Now that You're on Board. Use the link for details about Elaine Cogan's booklet, but return to this page for the special discount offer: both Using Your Time Wisely & Now that You're on Board for just $21.50 -- you'll be saving $11.50. Price includes free shipping.

After ordering, you'll receive a link to download Using Your Time Wisely, and you'll receive Now that You're on Board by first-class mail.

Ride the Bus

2009-10-30T18:34:00-04:00

The just published Fall issue of the Planning Commissioners Journal features an article by Hannah Twaddell on how to better plan for rural public transit. But it's also important to promote bus service. Take a look at these two short public service announcements, the first from Red Rose Transit in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the second from the Town of Ocean City, Maryland. Let us know of any bus-related PSA's you've enjoyed.

On Being An Effective Chair*

2009-10-28T10:42:00-04:00

Tip 15 of 25
from Elaine Cogan

view all Tips posted to date

The critically important role of the chair of a planning board cannot be overemphasized. The planning process suffers if the chair is either weak and unfocused or too strong and intimidating.

These are some principles of effective leadership planning commission chairs should follow.

Be conversant with all the issues under discussion, but do not feel the need to be an expert in any. In fact, knowing too many technicalities may get in the way of encouraging and accepting the opinions of laypeople, a key role you should play.

Always show fairness and do not express your personal opinions, except when it is time to vote. If you must speak out, turn over the gavel to your vice chair. However, exercise that prerogative sparingly. If you do it too often, your ability to be an unbiased presiding officer will be questioned. Fairness also means you give everyone a chance to speak and deal quickly and decisively with those, either commission members or the public, who try to dominate the discussion.

Disdain the trappings of power. The gavel is all you should need to keep order, and it should be used sparingly. Neither request, require, nor countenance special consideration from staff or from anyone else.

Display energy and enthusiasm, even at a hearing that has dragged on into the early morning hours. Of course, an effective chair will not have allowed the meeting to go on that long, but in any event, you must always strive to be alert and positive, fair and courteous.

Use praise unsparingly. A good leader does not need praise; a good leader dispenses it when merited, but always sincerely. There should be much to laud: staff work on a particularly difficult or onerous issue; public testimony that is fair and non-belligerent on a contentious subject; courteous and intelligent discussion among the commissioners.

Stimulate and synthesize the group process without overwhelming it. You should always, figuratively at least, be looking to the right and the left and keeping your antennae out for verbal and nonverbal signals from the commission, staff, and the public. You do the best job as chair if you move the group to consensus more often than to a win/lose posture.

Most of all, a good planning commission chair enjoys the role and looks forward to tomorrow as another opportunity to exert enlightened and informed leadership.

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* About the designation “chair” rather than chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson. All are in common use, and all are correct. However, the neutral term “chair” is more in keeping with similar terms for other leadership positions such as administrator, president, and chief executive officer.

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Editor's Note: for more on the role of the chair -- from the long-time Chair of the Johnson County, Kansas, Planning Commission -- see Carol Whitlock's "Chairing the Planning Commission" (available to order & download).

Light Rail for Kansas City

2009-10-23T09:50:00-04:00

I thought this was an effective short video on the role that light rail can play in shaping a city. It works well without any narration. More about the video below.

Imagine KC from Arnold Imaging on Vimeo.

I received the following information from Jonathan Arnold whose firm produced the video:

"The video was produced for a community outreach program called Imagine KC where residents had town hall meetings to discuss what they wanted Kansas City to look like in 20 years. The overwhelming concensus was they wanted Kansas City to be vibrant, green, and connected.

The 3 minute piece was a visualization of what that could look like in KC. It was very well received both here in Kansas City and across the country (via the web) as it not only showed the technical aspects, but conveyed emotion and the increased human interaction that TOD offers.

The current status of LRT in Kansas City is that there are three proposed routes using various technologies. Time will tell which one wins out, but it looks like some form of rail based transit will be built here."

Dealing With Difficult People Requires Finesse

2009-10-21T10:33:00-04:00

Tip 14 of 25
Elaine Cogan

View all Tips posted to date

Planning issues can bring out the best and the worst in citizens. Your decisions affect the everyday lives of many people -- the quality of their neighborhoods and the value of their homes and businesses. At some point in your commission career, you will chair or sponsor a public meeting where people are polarized, opinionated, and possibly rude and abusive. It may not be easy in these difficult circumstances, but it is essential that you keep your temper under control and your opinions to yourself.

Here are descriptions of some of the most common disrupters and suggestions about how to deal with them.

Arguers. Never answer an accusation with an angry retort nor ask a question that encourages them to continue their tirade. Remember that it takes two to argue; a reasoned and fair-handed response may not convince them but they probably will give up trying.

Attackers. Attackers are probably making you or the agency the scapegoat for a more generalized anger against the “system” or other matters you cannot control. They usually speak hurriedly and in loud voices. Put them off guard and slow down the momentum by speaking deliberately and with assurance. If the attacker is a public official who seems to enjoy verbally abusing staff or volunteer commissioners, try to stay out of his way until he calms down. He will.

Gossip-spreaders. They speak in authoritative voices and will not be deterred by correct information. A simple, “Why, where did you hear that?” or “Does anyone know where we can get more information?” will often shame them, until the next time.

Hair-splitters. Sometimes their “picky” points are important to consider and perhaps a clue that you have neglected something. Do not take it up during the meeting. Refer the hair-splitters to a staff expert or someone who can do research and help resolve the issue with the correct facts.

Old-timers. They may be garrulous but they also are the keepers of valuable community memory. Appoint them to a subcommittee where their recollections can be put to good use.

Single-issuers. Every community has them. No matter the topic at hand, they are ready at every occasion to bring up the same issue. You may be talking about housing densities and they rant and rave about the sewers. You may be discussing park development and still they rail about sewers, and so on. After awhile, you will recognize them and probably can repeat what they have to say before they do. Listen and nod politely but do not ask them any questions or encourage them in any way … unless, of course, by some chance, you are talking about their favorite subject.

Yakkers. Strictly set and enforce time limits on all individual comments and use a bell or other audible means to keep yakkers in line. You may have to cut them off by calling on the next speaker, but it is important that everyone follow the same rules. The essence of democracy is to give equal time to many people with disparate points of view.

Deal with each situation with goodwill, fairness, and a sense of humor. Call a recess if warring factions are out of control. Most importantly, realize that the tone and tenor of the meeting is often influenced by your own behavior.

Can Cars Share Space With Bicyclists & Pedestrians?

2009-10-16T09:59:00-04:00

A fairly radical new concept in transportation planning emerged a few years ago in the Netherlands, and has rapidly caught on in Europe. It's called "shared space." At its core, this means allowing cars, pedestrians, and bicyclists to share the same space. As Hans Monderman, who pioneered the concept, explains,"When you don't exactly know who has right of way, you tend to seek eye contact with other road users ... You automatically reduce your speed, you have contact with other people and you take greater care."

You'll get a clearer idea by watching this short video about the City of Auckland, New Zealand's plans for implementing shared space on several streets.

More details about the concept are also available on the Project for Public Spaces' blog. There's also a good article on shared space on Wikipedia, with a number of links. Could something like this work in the U.S., or would it require too big a change in motorists' behavior?

Positive Media Relations Need Special Effort

2009-10-14T10:20:00-04:00

Tip 13 of 25
Elaine Cogan

view all Tips posted to date

As a public official, never consider the media friends who will do favors that are not in their self-interest. They have no obligation to provide free coverage for your agency. Most media are businesses whose owners expect to make a profit. Even the public or nonprofit media pick and choose the subjects they believe interest their audiences. With these caveats, the media serve as important conduits to your constituencies, and you can work together by recognizing their similarities as well as important differences.

Print -- your daily or weekly newspaper -- can cover stories in more depth than the other media. Know their deadlines and give them as much notice as possible. If the reporter cannot stay for an entire meeting, arrange to phone her or the editor as soon as the meeting is over and/or the decision is made. You might ask them to delay the report of the meeting so that the complete story can be written the next day, but they probably will not agree for fear of being scooped by the other media.

Television cameras can be obtrusive especially when doing close-ups, but news crews can be asked politely to film from an angle that does not obstruct the public’s view.

Offer to brief the assigned print or television reporter before the meeting and give them a written outline of the issues under discussion. Whenever you are interviewed for TV, talk in short, succinct sentences and be prepared for a very short segment to appear on the broadcast, regardless of the amount of time they filmed.

Radio listeners are most likely doing something else while listening. To communicate well over this medium, speak clearly in a friendly, informal voice. Local call-in talk shows are a good vehicle for two-way communication with the public though a clever host will try to boost listenership and ratings by challenging you with controversial ideas or statements. Be prepared by ascertaining the format and the style before you go on the air.

There will be times when no matter how hard you have tried, a misleading or damaging story will appear in print or be broadcast. Do not be swayed by your first frustrated or angry emotions. If other colleagues, staff, or friends do not think any harm was done, ignore it.

However, if you and others believe you have cause to complain, assess the situation. Was the entire treatment of the issue untrue? Or were the facts correct, but the emphasis skewed? Were comments misquoted? Does the story unfairly damage your reputation or that of the agency? If any or all of the above is true, contact the reporter first and, only if necessary, the editor or station manager. If you discuss the issue without rancor, they may be receptive to printing a retraction, a guest editorial or letter, or giving you rebuttal time on the air.

Above all, do not burn any bridges with the media. Over time, and with effort, you can build and nurture relationships that benefit all.

Editor's note: for another article on how planning commissioners can best deal with the media, see David Essex's "Think Like a Reporter" (available to order & download).

Friend us on Facebook

2009-10-13T16:03:23-04:00

From Betsey Krumholz, General Manager

Like everyone else, we're trying to get a handle on social media -- and it is more complicated than it appears. Wayne posted about his use of Twitter -- here are some additional thoughts.

First and foremost, it is important to figure out which social medium works for which audience -- which, in turn, means thinking strategically about what you're trying to say to whom. We heard from one guru that maximizing the value of social media involves "personalizing" your readers. That is to say -- creating "personas" with whom you are communicating. Good advice.

The PCJ is the nation's leading print quarterly publication for citizen planners. We publish a 20-page journal with articles written specifically for planning commission, zoning board, and governing body members.

Persona Number One: Citizen planners. Elected, appointed, or community activists.

The PCJ is a private, for-profit, small business that markets our products to city, county, regional and local officials for use by their citizen planners.

Persona Number Two: Professional planners and officials -- the folks with the budget.

The PCJ engages authors from across the continent to help us bring timely and interesting planning-related information to our subscribers, including articles on law, design, transportation, ethics, etc.

Persona Number Three: Authors, professionals in planning-related fields, folks with a story to share, communities with planning successes or challenges to learn from.

AND we're also personally interested in the great planning stuff that is happening around the world.

Here's how we apply this to our social media use:

Editor Wayne Senville has found Twitter to be highly effective for keeping up on news bulletins, sharing interesting tidbits, and sending and receiving web links to explore. It is great to follow up-to-the-minute discussions, hear about new projects, and laugh at a quirky link. For us, it is a great way to communicate in very short sentences with our Persona #3. Some citizen planners (#1) are using Twitter, too, and I expect that number will grow. Follow the PCJ at: http://twitter.com/PlanningJournal.

LinkedIn has been a terrific way for us to share information with other professional planners, and to get answers to queries. We have solicited contact information, and asked for recommendations about sources, topics, and items of interest -- with surprising results. This is a more in-depth way to communicate with professionals -- allowing for greater detail, and more accountability. Since this is about professional development, networking, and visibility (#3), we hope that it also helps us reach Persona #2. Look for Wayne Senville or Betsey Masters Krumholz and ask us to connect.

That brings me to Facebook. I use Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family, and to find out about events in my community through the interest groups I join, or through the organizations I become a "fan" of. I don't own a handheld "device", nor do I check my email hourly. I choose my "Friends" carefully in order to avoid overload, and like the fact that updates and invitations are sequestered in my "Inbox" for review at my convenience. Originally for just the college crowd, Facebook has been mainstreamed now and includes moms and dads, community volunteers, other media (radio, TV, and print), organizations, politicians, and interest groups.

My role at the PCJ is to communicate with our subscribers -- the citizen planners (#1) as well as the professionals who make the purchasing decisions. Being on Facebook allows me to ask questions, post information, add links or video clips, and let folks know about articles in our upcoming issues and update the monthly specials. BUT, most importantly, it provides a venue for citizen planners to "speak" with each other about issues in their communities. I think this has huge potential -- but it takes YOU to get involved.

Our group is growing -- join us by going to Facebook , searching "Planning Commissioners Journal" -- and becoming a member. Read our news, add to our discussion board, post on our wall, or add photos or links to your community. The door is always open to new friends.

Allentown

2009-10-09T09:41:00-04:00

Our music and art can often tell us a lot about our cities, and our society. Billy Joel is especially perceptive in this way -- plus he's got quite a voice! For this Friday's short video offering, listen to his song "Allentown." The video below is a home made version; to view the official music video you'll need to use this link. If you want to find out about economic development issues facing Allentown today, visit the Allentown Economic Development Corporation's web site.

How to Work Effectively With Elected Officials

2009-10-08T10:00:00-04:00

Tip 12 of 25
from Elaine Cogan

view all Tips posted to date

When was the last time the planning board spent weeks or months on an important issue, only to have your decision overturned by your elected city council or commission?

If this happens often, you should ask yourselves what steps you can take to make sure this is a rarity and that planning commission policies and decisions usually are supported by your elected body. It may be very interesting to sit in on your governing body’s meeting when an appeal of one of your decisions is being considered. You may not enjoy hearing people disagree with your well-reasoned approach, but the experience should reveal other points of view you may need to consider in the future.

If the content or form of the planning commission’s findings often are set aside or ignored, you may be able to find simple changes that will make them more acceptable; if the findings are okay but the governing body disagrees with your conclusions, revisit the issue with one or more officials or staff to find out why you are out of step. This knowledge may help you craft a winning strategy the next time.

Be acquainted with the political platforms of the members of the governing body. Did someone campaign for office and win by promising to end all planning in your community? Are some members strongly pro or anti-growth? That type of information are clues to how individuals may respond to specific planning issues. Even in the face of tacit opposition, you should not give up. You and the other commissioners should arrange a visit to explain your positions and the positive results of good planning on your community -- and also listen attentively to the elected official's contrary ideas.

In such relationships, do not ask planning department staff to convey your message. It is most effectively conveyed, and received, if you do it yourselves. Politely but firmly insist that you speak to the appropriate elected official, not to staff.

Another relationship-building activity is to invite elected officials to a retreat or informal workshop where you try to reach consensus on a common vision, goals, objectives, and planning agenda. Even if the best you can do is agree to disagree, you will have heard each other and begun to form relationships that will be useful in the future.

Most importantly, strive to be open and cordial in all your relationships. Remember, you will have to work together tomorrow ... and tomorrow. Your community deserves no less.

Note from Planning Commissioners Journal Editor Wayne Senville: we're pleased to be posting over the next half-year, on a weekly basis every Wednesday, PCJ columnist Elaine Cogan's 25 tips for planning commissioners from her excellent Now That You're on Board Publication.