PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN A POLARIZED ERA
The Good, the Bad, the Future

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Day 1 – Taking Stock and Devising Solutions
Friday, December 1, 2017
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
East-West Center
Imin Hall

Day 2 – Public Consultation Strategies and Skills
Saturday, December 2, 2017
8:30a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
William S. Richardson School of Law
Classroom 2
Sponsors and Organizers
The ACCORD3.0 Network
University of Hawai‘i Public Policy Center
Honolulu Civil Beat
Ulupono Initiative
ThinkTech Hawai‘i
William S. Richardson School of Law

 Why This Gathering?
In the late 1970s, and in the face of strong new environmental laws,
government agencies adopted new community consultation strategies.
Foremost among these were National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA)
requirements, sunshine laws, and the use of public meetings whenever new
policies, projects and plans were proposed.
Called by different names—public consultation, civic participation,
stakeholder engagement –they promised (1) earlier notice of impending
decisions; (2) more responsiveness from slow-moving, underfunded, and
sometimes secretive bureaucracies; (3) additional opportunities for and
attention to diverse voices; (4) a more level playing field between
government, corporations and communities; (5) new checks and balances
against authoritative decision-making; and (6) more transparent and
informed decision making.
Three decades later, too many public meetings have become perfunctory
‘tick-the-box’ compliance exercises, or simply fresh combat zones for old
ideological wars. Many have evolved into formulaic productions by project
proponents or well-organized opposition campaigns by opponents; both
represent an unfunded bureaucratic burden for agencies to endure.
Further, as public discourse has become increasingly polarized and hostile, it
gets harder to arrive at decisions that can be supported by a plurality of
citizens. Businesses often feel victimized by the tyranny of the minorities that
come out to public meetings. And advocacy groups feel frustrated that they
have so little impact.
This full-day gathering, followed by a half-day skill and strategy workshop,
will take stock of how public participation is faring, gather ideas for changes
to the way public consultation takes place, and spark conversations that have
consequences now and for the future.

2

 Day 1 – Taking Stock and Devising Solutions
Friday, December 1, 2017
East-West Center
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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8:00a

Coffee and Registration

8:30

Welcome and Overview – Peter Adler, Ph.D. - The
ACCORD3.0 Network

8:40

Why Public Participation and Consultation Matter –
Colin Moore, Director - University of Hawaiʻi Public Policy
Center
(Public participation: its current dynamics and its future relevance)

9:00

The Landscape of Existing Consultation Practices –
Keith Mattson, The ACCORD3.0 Network - Moderator
(Legal requirements and perspectives on the effectiveness of ongoing
practices)

Overview of Key Requirements for Public Consultation:
Sunshine Laws, EIS, Agency Rulemaking, Planning Permits,
etc. – Professor Denise Antolini, Associate Dean, William S.
Richardson School of Law
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Nonprofit Perspectives – Marjorie Ziegler, Executive
Director – Conservation Council of Hawai‘i

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Business Perspectives - Mitchell D’Olier

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Elected Official Perspectives – Hon Ed Case, U.S.
House of Representatives, Ret.

10:30
10:45

Break
Learning from Case Studies– Scott McCreary, The
ACCORD3.0 Network
(Different types of processes and their differing impacts)



Kaka‘ako Citizen Advisory Committee – Kem Lowry,
Department of Urban and Regional Planning (ret.)

3

 12:30p

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Complete Streets Planning – Melissa White, Sr.
Planner, SSFM International



‘Aha 2016 and the Native Hawaiian Constitution –
Kaleiaina Lee, ‘Aha 2016 Chair



Kaua‘i’s Proposed New Dairy – Amy Hennessey,
Communications Director, Ulupono Initiative



Envision Maunakea – Greg Chun, Social Science
Research Institute, University of Hawaiʻi

Lunch (included)

1:20p
1:30p

Taiko Thunder Drum Call Back
Top Ten Ways to Make Sure Public Consultations Fail
– Linda Colburn
(A humorous countdown of the strange and interesting things that
befall people and events in public meetings)

1:45

Developing Public Policy: Who Gets Heard? – Makena
Coffman, Chair, Department of Urban and Regional
Planning, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
(People on different sides of controversial issues often claim to speak
for their community, their ethnic group, or for future generations. Are
there good, better, and worse ways to understand what communities
want, especially when there are diverse stakeholders? What would an
ideal public consultation process entail?)

2:10

Innovations, Solutions, and Fixes - Rapid Fire
Questions, Answers, and Brainstorming with
ACCORD3.0 Members and Sponsors – Peter S. Adler,
Moderator


Nicole Brodie



Jay Fidell



Ann Gosline



Amy Hennessey

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Tim Hicks



Elizabeth Kent

4

 3:30

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Kem Lowry

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Keith Mattson



Scott McCreary



Colin Moore



Ken Schmidt

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Jim Simon

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Richard Wilson

Open Breakout Groups to Discuss Specific Issues,
Questions, and Ideas with Presenters
(Stations with presenters and opportunities for available for informal
conversations)

4:15

Report on Potential Future Action Items from
Designated Listeners – Jana Wolff and Anne Smoke

4:30

Great Pupus and Cash Bar Reception

5

 Part 2 – Strategy and Skill Workshops
Saturday, December 2, 2017
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
William S. Richardson School of Law
Classroom 2
8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
8:30 a.m. Planning and Designing Specific Public Consultation
Processes – Kem Lowry, Rich Wilson, and Tim Hicks (Keith
Mattson - Moderator)
Effective public consultation depends a great deal upon designing
processes tailored to the unique set of issues and communities
involved. Organizers, managers, and facilitators must weigh several
factors, including a community’s previous experience with similar
issues, the public’s general knowledge base about the issue at hand,
and the levels of polarization that may exist in the community. Three
highly-experienced facilitators share their insights, methods, and
recommendations for planning and designing processes that can lead
to successful consultation outcomes.

9:30 a.m. Break
9:45 a.m. Transparency and Privacy: Grappling with the
public’s right to know and the need to explore
solutions out of the public glare–Ray Soon, Jim Simon,
Greg Chun (Jana Wolff – Moderator)

While stakeholders and organizers want open and direct dialogue on
issues, there is often the need for a ‘safe harbor’ where those with
opposing viewpoints can engage in honest debate and confidential
discussions without the repercussions of publicized statements and
positions. The media’s presence and the public's demand for
transparency can stifle the level of frankness around the table and
even dissuade people from engaging in difficult discussions in the first
place. Three experienced professionals share their insights and
techniques on ways to balance the needs for transparency and privacy.

10:45 a.m.

Break

6

 11:00 a.m.

Consultation Processes with Native Hawaiian
Communities –Kaleiaina Lee and Malia Akutagawa (Peter
Adler - Moderator)
Vibrant communities across Hawaiʻi want to participate in decisions
that affect their individual and collective futures, especially Native
Hawaiians who continue to experience a cultural renaissance. This
panel will ask and try to answer the question: How do diverse
Hawaiians prefer to be consulted when decisions that may affect them
are on the table?

12:00 p.m.

Pau

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