Municipalist Blog Post

Just as I am launching the blog for the update to the Design Regulations, a public sector focused blogger based in Washington DC has asked me a number of questions about how we are using this medium here in Oak Harbor.

For those of you interested in knowing more about how all this blogging stuff works, take a look at the post here.

Whidbey News Times Article

The May 15 edition of the Whidbey News Times (opinion section) has published an article about our use of blogs for engaging the public.

Whidbey News Times Article

The April 9 edition of the Whidbey News Times (front page) has published an article about the use of blogs for various projects at the City http://www.whidbeynewstimes.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=84&cat=23&id=1190746&more=0.

Fellow Senior Planner, Cac Kamak was quoted in the article discussing this new use of blogs for City projects: “It’s like a virtual, on-demand City Hall. People can chime in at anytime and have their issues addressed”. This is evident in the fact that to date this blog has received over 150 unique visitors, with over half returning repeatedly to gather more information about this project.

You can now participate in conversations and meetings without being in the same place, or at the same time together, by coming to the blog when it's convenient. As more of you participate in the process the more complex, interconnected, and holistic the "solutions" can become. This way you can have a direct impact on your community.

When visiting also remember to check out the archive section for past posts!

Whidbey News Times Article

The February 16th edition of the Whidbey News Times (page A3) has published an article outlining the Subdivision Code revision project http://www.whidbeynewstimes.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=84&cat=23&id=1158332&more=0 . I would like to highlight two significant points that this article identifies:

1. the current and future regulations that govern subdivisions belong to the community; they are your regulations not the City's;


2. typically the most effective time for citizens to participate in any public process associated with development, is during times when the policies and regulations are being created that will be used to review future applications.

Your input is valuable to this project, we look forward to your participation.