[WEC-Com] model of public input

[Charles Snyder]

Hi Group
I'm trying out Kevin and Rob's new email list to say how much I liked 
yesterday evening's public forum on downtown improvements.  The well 
attended event was held in the lobby of the Atrium building from 
6:00p.m. until 9:00p.m.  I saw a number of familiar WEC faces there, 
also.  This event could well serve as a model for public events 
conducted by our Communications Task Force, which is charged to (among 
other things)/ "Ensure there are effective communications ...with the 
public at large."  /This is the evaluation I've emailed to the Mayor:

     I thought the public meeting yesterday evening was a great success,
    at least from the perspective of a new participant. The hard work
    and sincerity of the volunteer committee was obvious and impressive,
    and the presentation was helpful without being suspiciously smooth.
    The structure for participant input (the large sheets listing
    various proposals to be evaluated) didn't work well for the table
    where I was sitting, but the conversation was lively and productive,
    the facilitator was light- and even-handed but helped us to reach
    conclusions and moved the conversation along. We enlisted a scribe
    who listed our recommendations and presented them well to the group.
    Perhaps the most impressive quality of the experience for me was the
    impression that the recommendations presented were the result of a
    truly open public process, and that the presenters were truly
    interested in receiving and using the input of the participants. I
    plan to suggest last night's forum as a model for the WEC
    Communications Committee to consider for whatever public
    participation events it might conduct. I guess I liked it...thanks
    for suggesting we attend.

Did others from this task force attend this event also?  Any impressions?
Charles