| Topics: Civic Communication The Bremerton Sun, continued Index Economic Diversification
Where Do We Grow From Here
Open Space Contents Open Space Open Space A case study by Project on Public Life and the Press New York University Department of Journalism 10 Washington Pl. New York, NY 10003 (212) 998-3793 © Project on Public Life and the Press,1994 The Project is funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Sun led Kitsap County through a public process that resulted in a citizen-written open space preservation plan. Phillips and other leaders organized 47 community meetings, attended by about 1,500 citizens, and conducted by 150 volunteers trained as facilitators under Sun auspices. The Sun provided background and other workshop materials, published the citizen plan in a 24-page special section, and conducted two telephone polls. County commissioners responded to the proposal by placing a $70 million bond issue on the ballot in September 1992. After the proposal failed to win the 60 percent majority required for bond issues, the volunteers regrouped and chartered a not-for-profit advocacy organization to keep open space on the public agenda. Properties and strategies identified in the plan are being included in the county's new comprehensive plan. Case study plus. When and how did this initiative get started?
After angry citizens fought an effort to sell a 600-acre forest to developers and the county commission said it did not have enough money to preserve such properties, Phillips wrote an editorial calling for more preservation. Area leaders contacted him about an effort to build support for the idea. Bremerton Sun (newspaper)
PO Box 259
Bremerton WA 98310
(206) 377-3711 (phone)
(206) 792-9201 (Phillips)
(206) 479-7681 (fax) Ownership:
Scripps-Howard
No. newsroom employees: 41.5 FTE Circulation:
40,000 (daily)
41,500 (Sunday)
Circulation area (pop.)
Western Puget Sound: Kitsap and part of Mason and Jefferson Cos. (250,000) Initiative
Economic Diversification Dates:
Ongoing since February 1993 Lead Editor:
Jeff Brody Executive Editor:
Mike Phillips What are the goals of the initiative?
Develop a plan to preserve open spaces (forests, parks, greenways, salmon streams, saltwater estuaries, wetlands, shorelines) that are especially cherished by citizens. Develop funding and stewardship techniques. Because of widespread mistrust of government, find a way to let citizens accomplish this task themselves. What does the initiative entail?
Phillips spearheaded the effort with a local real estate agent and the president of a bank, who had called him the day after his initial editorial and said, "You're right. We want to do something. But we can't do it without you." Together, the three teamed up to recruit citizens and form an organization. They persuaded the county commission to cosponsor a public meeting where a proposal was made to develop a citizens group on open space; its board was known as Friends of Open Space. For brochures, slide shows, detailed maps, hall rentals, mailings and consultants, the group raised $45,000 from private donations, direct mailings and with a coupon in the Sun eliciting support. (The Sun spent $5,000 directly; in-kind contributions have not been calculated.) The group scheduled 47 meetings around the county in April and May 1992, with about 1,500 people attending. Two hundred people from the sessions reconvened to develop a comprehensive, rank-ordered plan and to recommend levels of funding. The paper and a local university then trained 30 volunteers to conduct two random-sample polls to gauge support for the measure. When the county commission agreed to adopt the plan and place the bond measure on the ballot. Phillips dropped out, confining his effort to active editorial support; he also actively recruited op-ed columnists opposed to the measure to make sure those voices appeared in the paper. The measure won a 51 percent majority but failed to garner the 60 percent required for bond issues. Friends of Open Space regrouped in January 1993 to charter as a not-for-profit organization. How many people worked on it?
About a dozen Sun staffers worked on the effort, at tasks ranging from ad writing to photography for brochures. Reporters also covered the entire process as a news story. What did it look like in the newspaper?
In addition to its 24-page tab and regular coverage, the paper also ran house ads encouraging attendance at citizens forums and eliciting donations for the effort. Response to the Initiative In the newsroom:
Some felt The Sun's involvement was too direct and in retrospect, even Phillips believes he went too far with his activism. However, he attempted to shield the staff by being the only player and removing himself from news coverage decisions; he also was careful to discuss his activities openly to answer any questions that arose. Phillips said the reporter who covered the initiative did not seem to have trouble writing about her boss; Phillips always encouraged reporters to write about opposition to the plan. Other members of the newsroom staff were pleased with the paper's activism, Phillips said, a sentiment reflecting widespread community concern about environmental issues and the need for leadership from the Sun. In the community:
Phillips writes: "Overwhelmingly positive, as evidenced by high turnout at meetings. Overt opposition to the ballot measure was minimal and only surfaced shortly before the election. Widespread recognition that the Sun was helping the community solve an important problem. But some complaints from people concerned about rising property taxes that we had abandoned our mission of telling both sides of a story." Among political leaders:
County commissioners were stung when people at the first forum said they wanted public officials - who had ignored the issue for years - to stay out of the process. According to Phillips, "There was real (though carefully concealed) hostility among government staff - especially the planners. But acceptance of the inevitable by both when the newspaper, top civic leaders and a horde of volunteers set a course and started sailing." Phillips says he, the banker and the real estate agent (who owned the largest agency in town), openly used their positions to pressure the commission into taking action. Did any outside group pick up the newspaper's initiative and carry it further?
After the election, members of the volunteer core formed Kitsap Friends of Open Space as a nonprofit corporation, obtained operating grants from several foundations and forged an alliance with four small land trusts in the area. This organization is working on two fronts: to continue heavy citizen participation as the county works through a complex growth management planning process, and to find funding for preserving the list of properties in the plan. Contact: Mary Ellen McCaffree (206) 638-2568. Phillips serves on the board of about 75, but is not especially active. Overall lessons - successes and failures
Phillips believes that to have advocated editorially for open-space preservation would not have created enough momentum to get the open space movement off the ground. He managed staff uneasiness about his advocacy role by being as open as possible about their concerns. He believes the bond issue and the momentum behind it faltered for two reasons: it moved too fast, and there was too much community action without sufficient deliberative reflection in the newspaper. Phillips details the following in a written update: Successes:
Open space preservation is on the agenda now, an organization exists to deal with the issue, and hundreds (maybe thousands) of citizens have a better understanding of open-space issues. "Best of all, 1,500 citizens experienced participatory democracy - and liked it," Phillips writes. Failures:
The project moved too fast. It was a lot to do in a few months - and a lot for the public to absorb. Of those who voted in September 1992, 10 percent simply skipped the open space issue - an indication that they felt they just didn't know enough about it to vote. Also, Phillips writes, "Along with all that deliberation in all those neighborhood meetings, there should have been more deliberation in the newspaper." Phillips asks in retrospect, why would the editor "shield" the staff from facilitating public deliberation? And in a final point Phillips made in an early interview, polling was overly optimistic. The wording asked whether people would support open space; respondents were given little chance to say no or express reservations. What's next:
Now that citizens have expressed support for open space, the question is how to pay for it. Phillips plans continued coverage of the issue. Case study written by Lisa Austin, Assistant Director of the Project on Public Life and the Press, October 1993. Lisa is also a member of the CPN Journalism editorial team. Revision of March 1994 based on written update by Mike Phillips. More Information Project on Public Life and the Press
New York University
Department of Journalism
10 Washington Pl.
New York, NY 10003
(212) 998-3793 Index Economic Diversification
Where Do We Grow From Here
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