By Bob Brown, editor
The CVPost staff
Clear Vision Eau Claire – a collaborative effort among local government, business, education and nonprofit agencies – today was named one of four finalists for a prestigious award presented annually by Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
The Roy and Lila Ash Innovations in Public Engagement in Government Award, which carries with it a $100,000 grand prize, recognizes initiatives that “represent the committed efforts of city, state, and federal governments to engage with the communities and citizens they represent,” according to a news release from the Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
“The Innovations Award is designed specifically to recognize government-led innovations that demonstrate enhanced public engagement and participation in the governance of towns, cities, states, and the nation,” the release states, adding that the award finalists were chosen by “a cohort of policy experts, researchers, and practitioners.”
When asked today about the monetary prize that accompanies the award, Clear Vision Eau Claire board member Mike Huggins said, “That’s a sum I just can’t really get my head around.”
Huggins, a former Eau Claire city manager, said Clear Vision has relied primarily on small grants and the efforts of volunteers since its founding in 2007.
“How do you go from spending hardly anything to something like that?” he said. “Frankly, we’d have to see what we would do with that money.”
This is the first time Clear Vision Eau Claire has applied for the Roy and Lila Ash Innovations in Public Engagement in Government Award. During a site visit last week, an evaluator spent two days in Eau Claire speaking with community members and gathering information, Huggins said.
Each of the four finalists for the award will make a five-minute presentation to a panel of judges in Cambridge, MA, on May 20. Huggins said he and Vicki Hoehn, a Clear Vision board member and vice president of marketing for Royal Credit Union, will make the presentation on behalf of the local group.
Those presentations will be streamed live at http://www.hks.harvard.edu/live.
The award winner will be announced this summer.
Today’s announcement by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard included a list of the top 10 entries for this year’s award, including the four finalists.
In addition to Clear Vision Eau Claire, the other finalists are as follows:
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for launching a national dialogue on mental health issues in response to the Dec. 14, 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting tragedy in Newtown, CT.
- The state of Oregon for an initiative to create a permanent infrastructure for uniting residents and elected officials in joint civic projects.
- The city of New York for an initiative to involve the public in a “participatory budgeting” process.
The announcement of the award finalists included the following description of the work done by Clear Vision Eau Claire since its formation in June 2007:
“In 2007, the greater Eau Claire area confronted major fiscal and public-service decisions about funding for over $400 million in community facilities needs for schools, performing arts facilities, libraries, courthouse expansions, sewer plants, parks, and downtown revitalization. In an effort to address these needs, local government officials convened an ad hoc group of government, business, education, and nonprofit leaders in March of that year to discuss how the community could work together more effectively. Partnering with the National Civic League, the group embarked on an inclusive, citizen-centered community visioning and strategic planning process. Over 500 diverse stakeholders were invited to participate in the kickoff to the Clear Vision Eau Claire process, whose mission statement was ‘to engage our community for the common good.’
“Working also with the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at Augsburg College, Clear Vision created a model for civic engagement and public problem-solving that brings together everyday people and public leaders in collaborative work. The results in Eau Claire include a community homeless shelter, neighborhood community gardens, youth environmental action teams, and, most recently, approval of a $70 million, public-private joint venture performing arts center and downtown revitalization project, and future plans for a major events and recreation complex.”
A full list of the Top 10 programs, including the finalists, in this year’s Roy and Lila Ash Innovations in Public Engagement in Government Award competition is available at http://ash.harvard.edu.