• Title: Public Response Note from publisher
  • Author: Jim Cuddeback
  • Date: 10/30/2011

Public Response Note from publisher

A Public Response note and invitation from the publisher:

For almost 15 years, Public Response has served as a forum for discussion and blogging about issues facing the East Lansing and Meridian Township communities, with spurts of activity and slow periods. Occasionally elected officials have offered their views -even those who disagree with Susan McGillicuddy respect her willingness to engage in debate with ordinary citizens, something for which we would be better off if more politicians did.

Public Response has also become a place for publishing information obtained through FOIA and for investigative reporting, which is now being done nationally and internationally as much or more through the blogosphere than by the paid-media.

With municipality and school budgets in crisis, public services being cut, and local governments having taken on non-traditional roles in promoting development, the need for public discussion of local issues has never been greater. At the same time, people are busy, and for most citizens sitting through long meetings is not a good use of time. For democracy to work, it must be participatory democracy. The internet has become the new town hall meeting place.

I encourage more citizens to use Public Response to raise issues of concern to them and engage in discussions. There are many people in the community with good ideas or who are aware of problems that should be addressed, and the best way to pressure government officials to listen is to speak to fellow citizens.

Naturally, over time, contributions to Public Response become obsolete or lose their original context. For the purpose of the November 2011 election, one of our regular contributors, Eliot Singer, has consolidated and updated some of his writings on development, including his investigation into the City Center II developer. For a brief take on his views, see his October 26 letter in The State News:
City Center II finances need realism (Statenews Article, Sunday October 30, 2011)

Other contributors have not had the time to provide updates or summaries, so I have linked a few posts of interest.

Jim Cuddeback
Public Response: Publisher & Editor
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