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Seattle City Council newbie Bruce Harrell is proposing the creation of a new city Web site designed to harness the power of the city’s ‘silent majority’:
With the available web technology, Councilmember Harrell will call for the implementation of an online gateway incorporated with the current Seattle.Gov website that allows every citizen the opportunity to provide their input in a structured, electronic polling format.
We like ourselves a poll here and there. And other greats of the Seattle Internet have put them to good use, too. So we’re not surprised the city wants in on this online democracy thing, too. This, of course, warrants a poll.
An ‘online gateway’? What’s with the mid-90s terminology?
harness the online discussions that are happening, don’t try to create yet another one.
Councilmember Licata, for example, set up the “Critical Crossings” website to try to publicize pedestrian troublespots around the city. I think his intentions are good but the usage has been spotty, and if you look at the submitted spots, the areas of the city with more than a few are the ones that as far as I know don’t have strong neighborhood blogs. Otherwise, in areas like yours and ours etc., we are reporting on trouble spots. Doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be posted on his site, but wouldn’t it be great if there was some sort of synergy …