What is Citizen Engagement?

Beginning in 2006, Governor Chris Gregoire and senior staff visited communities across the state to engage citizens in meaningful dialogue about the priorities, performance and accountability of state government.  As she put it:

“We can’t set the state’s priorities alone in Olympia.  I am reaching out to hear directly from the citizens, so they can help me set priorities and identify ways to measure whether state government is working better or not.”

Why do we do it?

Building a better future for Washington families is important, and checking in with citizens is a good management principle. Washington is ahead of other states because we have a law requiring state government to solicit citizen input, and legislature put funding for this effort into the budget. This input helps inform what policies we pursue, how we budget, what we measure to determine how we’re doing, and how we report back to the citizens we serve.

How does it work?

The citizen engagement process was designed in three tiers to engage citizens, and to gather information from multiple sources.

  1. Citizen Workshops: Fifty citizens are selected at random to represent a cross-section of each community.  These citizens meet with members of the Governor's senior staff for a two-hour workshop conducted by an independent facilitator to discuss and prioritize performance measures to track progress in areas, such as education, health care, the economy, and transportation. To learn more about the results from these efforts:
    • Click here for a copy of the report from the 2007 tour.
    • Click here for a copy of the report from the 2006 tour.
  2. Community Leader meetings: The Governor's senior staff meets with community leaders representing a broad spectrum of interests and organizations to discuss the most important issues in that community.
  3. Town Halls: In an open community conversation, Governor Gregoire talks with citizens about what needs to happen to move the state forward. In 2006, Town Hall meetings were conducted in Everett, Pasco, Puyallup, Spokane, and Vancouver. In October 2007, we visited Seattle, Whatcom County, Grays Harbor County, Yakima, Tacoma, and Spokane Valley.

How is the information used?

Citizens’ priorities and feedback are reflected in how we govern. Governor Gregoire also conducts monthly performance review sessions, called GMAP forums, with agency directors, holding them personally accountable for delivering real results and ensuring that citizens get a good return on their tax dollars.