Montgomery elected officials are confounded by a recent survey that reported nearly 60 percent of area residents say the county does not do a good job of listening to its residents, when leaders are reaching out to constituents in town hall meetings, call-in television talk shows and chat sessions over the Internet.
The survey, which was mailed to 3,000 households and completed by more than 900 residents in September, noted that while residents may have accused county leaders of not listening, the majority had never attended a meeting with local officials.
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County Council members point to three well-attended town hall meetings they’ve hosted this year, and County Executive Ike Leggett told residents during his “state of the county” address that hehas met with more than 6,000 residents in nine of his own town hall meetings. Leggett also cited “leadership” summits with African-American, Caribbean, Latino, continental African and Asian community members.
Council President Mike Knapp acknowledged the survey’s findings were frustrating during a recent meeting with reporters.
“Something like 77 percent of people didn’t think we were listening enough, but only 23 percent had participated in forums,” he told reporters. “We’re trying to find new ways people can access information.”
Knapp will debut a blog in early January for residents to read to stay abreast of county issues. He says he’d also like an electronic bulletin board installed in the county’s council office building.
Knapp joined Leggett once for a TV call-in show on local cable, and Knapp’s predecessor, former Council President Marilyn Praisner, co-hosted two shows of her own with Leggett. County Council spokesman Neil Greenberger said two of the three shows were fully booked with callers, and the other included some previously filmed “man on the street” questions that county staff had compiled in advance.
Greenberger said the survey findings were tough to swallow but that county leaders have been orchestrating changes over the course of the past year to make county government more accessible. He said the county government cable station has even tried to make its format less “stodgy” by bringing in elected officials for sit-down chats.
“It’s like, whose fault is this?” Greenberger said. “You’ll never get everybody, but you can’t write it off and say we’ve done all we can do.”
Get involved
The next Montgomery County Virtual Town Hall Meeting is from noon to 1:00 p.m. March 20. To submit questions, go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov.