Civic engagement needs to change. Here's what we're doing about it.
“[T]he problem for western civic societies is not so much defending against hostile and abusive use of technology. Instead, it’s failing to use technology to rediscover what democracy should be for the modern nation state: citizens participating personally in public debate and having meaningful say in policy decisions that affect them—without the distorting and corruptible role of legislative proxies or elitist agency officials.”
5 takeaways from an 8-year land use saga
We're still celebrating the definitive win for Hood River residents that came with the state Land Use Board of Appeals' (LUBA) unanimous decision to overturn the Hood River County Commission’s fourth extension of the DeeTour amphitheater development permit. Thrive Hood River's victory in the appeal effectively ends the 8-year threat posed by this ill-conceived large-scale concert venue sited on the banks of the East Fork of the Hood River.