Editorial, San Bernardino Sun, September 30, 2003

Unlike City Council meetings where your ideas are greeted with a polite "Thank you, your time is up," town hall meetings bring people together to share their ideas on a broader scale and come up with solutions to community problems.

This framework for discussion [facilitated by Barbara Hanna of Hanna & Associates] was put to the test recently in Banning, wherein 80 concerned citizens gathered to address subjects close to their hearts and minds – schools, city image, mass transit, code enforcement and hospital access.

Some of those in attendance were officials – three Banning council members and the city manager, as well as the school district superintendent and an assemblyman – but it was not a City Council meeting. It was a public meeting held to benefit the city.

Participants broke into small groups and not only discussed the problems, but also came up with viable remedies. Cities that take advantage of the town hall concept show that they truly value the perspective and input of their citizens.

The more involved and concerned people become, the easier it is to bring them on board for positive change. People want to believe there is room for their ideas to become realities, that they can make a difference. The smart city doesn’t lose this valuable asset, it nurtures it. Ideas, concepts, suggestions, solutions – it’s a concept that works for Banning, and can work just as easily for other communities.

It’s an easy formula to adopt. We encourage other communities to do so.