Diatribes by Joah

Another Light Rail Hurdle: A Faulty System of Public Engagement

I am going to start by saying that the views here are mine and mine alone. They don’t represent those of anyone else on the Austin Music Commission or anyone else at Bazaarvoice. I tend to speak my mind in a way that makes people uncomfortable and last night on my plane back from Miami I was in the mood to speak my mind about light rail some more.

One of the main problems Austin faces with light rail, like any issue that involves City Council approval, is the false sense that our political process actually seeks out citywide approval. Someone may say “well Joah, what’s wrong with citywide approval? Are you advocating we just force light rail onto the city like a dictator?” No, that’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is actually a bit more nuanced, but here’s the rub: We need to get out of the habit of being afraid of dissent and work harder to get genuine citywide engagement to find out if that dissent is broad.

Here’s the root of the problem. In a city with incredibly low voter turnout we end up with a political system that does two things: 1) Fosters a false sense of citywide leadership that is based on who can get neighborhoods and various groups known for voter turnout behind them on key issues vs. who can get citywide engagement on multiple issues that impact all of Austin’s residents, and 2) Creates a check-the-box, pass-through system for public engagement that equates appearances at boards and commissions meetings, words at town halls and forums and participation in other public “stakeholder” sessions in which less than five percent of the city’s residents are involved as a rubberstamp of citywide approval.

As a result, this is the typical pattern that I’ve seen on many City issues; most recently I’ve seen the beginnings of this with light rail:

1. City Council begins to consider a (Staff) recommendation for something groundbreaking, like light rail, but a large percentage of the research and recommendation originated from paid consultants, meaning there is already a strong filter before the public is truly involved.
2. The main political institutions have almost always been advised, consulted and informed long before the city’s residents, quickly reducing the number of non-usual suspects who will be considered key influencers on the issue. I have tried like hell to get meetings with various members of City Council to no avail, but now that I’m on the Austin Music Commission it’s become a bit easier, but still not as easy if I were the President of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce or the Downtown Austin Alliance. My point is that even someone like me: uber-engaged, fairly known in the City can’t always get time with City Council members. Sometimes their staff members end up presenting themselves in meetings as if they were the ones elected! How can a City with less than 10 percent of voter participation be this difficult for a resident to be heard directly?
3. The main political participants largely consisting of neighborhood associations, local business groups and active dissenters (this changes for every issue) show their faces at all of the City’s typical pass-through mechanisms for public engagement.
4. City Council members are constantly weighing what their base of voters’ and supporters’ sentiment on the issue is rather than tapping into the citywide sentiment through more dynamic and nontraditional research and engagement methods because there is no perceived political risks. Social media anyone? If Egypt can do it, why can't Austin?
5. Neighborhood associations’ opinions are treated like large percentages of the entire City’s population because they make up significant swaths of specific Council members' voter base and they often have more influence than Council members themselves (DANA?), although the membership of these groups is still miniscule in comparison to the overall voter population in Austin.
6. Local business leaders have outsized influence if they come out against an issue because they are seen to represent the viewpoints of their businesses patrons even though no such statistics exists to demonstrate this notion. Sorry, but when I eat at Guero's I don't sign my check and a sheet that says the owner of said establishment has my support in all of his political positions.
7. General dissenters of the issue work 10 times harder than supporters to show up to all the typical forums and make themselves heard, giving City Council (and media) the impression that there is not enough public support for the issue (although we know this is almost never the case).
8. We end up with a City Council vote that is based more on protecting small groups of people and their positions and less on representing the true values of a city striving to be the Best Managed City in America and failure to account for the countless residents who would love to voice their support but don’t value the traditional methods of engagement because dissent  - from neighborhood associations, local business groups and issue-based voters - is valued more than support from the city at large, and its larger base of residents.

I’m not trying to say those neighborhood associations, local business groups and anyone who dissents to the push for light rail (if you can even call it a push yet) are not worthy contributors to our political system. In fact, I very much value their openness and desire to be heard; this is often much more than I can say of people who I know support light rail but have yet to raise their voices. And God knows we need neighborhood and business groups to advocate for various much-needed proposals in the City.

However, we have a broken political system and it’s not just on the voter turnout levels or the makeup of our City Council. It’s broken all the way down to the town hall, public forum level where too much value is put on meeting with so-and-so and getting buy-in from this group or that usual suspect, rather than putting emphasis on making the case to the city at large.

And why hasn’t anyone made a strong case for light rail in Austin yet? Three reasons. [I’m really being blunt now.]

1. If Mike Martinez or Sheryl Cole comes out for light rail it’s seen as a socio-economic or racial play. Instead of making the case for the entire city, our City Council members are pressured to make the case for their voter bases. This isn’t their fault. It’s the City’s fault for having a charter and election system that makes our leadership more voter-conscious than forward thinking. I personally commend Martinez and the other Council members who have come out staunchly in support for light rail, but I do not feel they’ve done a fair job of convincing the entire city of it’s value, instead focusing on making the case by saying it will serve the most needy and poorest of Austinites, which is not true in some of the City’s with effective rail options.
2. If anywhere along that political process I outlined above comes major dissent, leadership starts to retract (some Council members refuse to share their positions before a vote saying they "want to hear both sides before deciding" which is so ridiculous, you should at least be open enough to have a sense of where you'd fall on the issue). This is mostly because their elections are almost always coming up within the next 12 months and it’s far too risky to go down in flames because of a single issue. This isn't just local either. Obama can make every pro-gay political move imaginable short of saying he’s for gay marriage for this reason. Only extremely conservative Republicans can win votes on single issues because their supporters are single-issue candidates more often than not. Well that, and staunch Planned Parenthood advocates. No offense, but it’s true.
3. The neighborhood groups and business groups are so focused on their viewpoints that they sometimes ignore the overall City’s long-term needs to reflect the short-term needs of their members. It's not the Greater Austin Chamber's job to represent the views of North Austinites, but they certainly care about what Dell thinks. As a result, the City Council members they choose to support must often choose between catering to the goals of their voting blocs and catering to the ambitions of the City. This is part of the reason why you don’t see any cutting edge social media engagement for light rail: why grow the base of people involved when we already have a system that allows a few to control it?

Anyway, that's just some more background on why I feel the way I feel about Austin's government makeup. I'm not trying to throw bombs at various individuals, but as a resident and blogger I feel responsible for being open and honest since our system already places so much emphasis on being reserved and filtered. I support light rail because the City has use for it today and will require use of it tomorrow. I had planned to talk about the main reasons a few people are staunchly against light rail: the classic, it’s too expensive/are people really going to use it/not right now argument. But I’ll save that for next time.

One of the Coolest Things About Miami? The Clouds.

There's almost always some precipitation in the area, which means there's almost always some clouds in the sky. On my drive into Miami Beach from the Fort Lauderdale Airport, I stumbled upon this one and couldn't help but drive and shoot. Yes, I know it looks kinda like a mushroom cloud and I'm not trying to be morbid or anything, but this is probably the single coolest cloud I've ever seen.

Friday Jam: Peter Gunz & Lord Tariq

Uncrate's Best Bets on Watches

If you're anything like me, visiting Uncrate at least once a day is part of your routine. Before I head to New York, LA or any other travel shopping destination, I check the site for any ideas on possible purchases. But it's not easy when they're kicking out multiple recommendations, many in the same category, each day. That's why I've decided to go through their dozens of timepiece recommendations and give you some suggestions. Some come in under $200 and others hover below $1,000 while a couple are in the $10,000-plus category for my high-rolling friends and readers.

This WeWood "Date" comes in at just $120. How many guys have you seen rockin' nature on their wrist?

Nixon put out a whole "Gunship" series and The Sentry is my favorite, especially when it comes in around $130-$190.

Obama, yes the President himself, has been spotted in this Jorg Gray JC6500 Chronograph watch that is amazingly only $325. Not only is our President stylish, but he's also on a budget.  

The Burberry Endurance watch for just $795. Yes, I just said "just" and the bottom two are the main reason why.

The Mont Blanc Time Walker TwinFly Chronograph watch has a long name and a long price tag at $11,900.

Tommy Hilfiger may have a more impressive garage, but Ralph Lauren has a more impressive Automotive watch. Rounding out my bunch at $13,400.

Isn't Nature Beautiful

In Austin. Sometimes I take photos while driving. Is Oprah going to come after me?

Outside of Kansas City.

Japanese Garden, Portland, Oregon.

Words for your Wednesday: Biracial

As in, Barack Obama, our President, was widely regarded as the "first Black man to become President of the United States" in order to maximize the achievement of his 2008 election victory. However, in 2012, now that that historic win has already taken place, he will have to beat his Republican opponents on his merits alone without standing on the shoulders of history (something he's already acknowledged) because the truth is that he's biracial.

bi·ra·cial  (b-rshl)

adj.

1. Of, for, or consisting of members of two races.

2. Having parents of two different races.

A recap of my first-ever trip to Portland

So I didn’t take a million and one pictures on my first trip to Portland this weekend, but I did make about a million observations. Here are a few I felt like sharing:

Lodging: Ace Hotel – Not quite the cool factor of the hotel’s New York locale, but still retained that ‘affluent-20-somethings with good taste in music and fashion’ vibe that boutique hotels hope for. Perfect walkable location to everything from Powell’s, the legendary book store (more on this later) to Blackbeard, a men’s clothing boutique that originated in Seattle.

Shopping: Compound Gallery – Of course I managed to buy a pair of shoes within the first hour of my trip to Portland, but it’s not what you think. They were some slick brown swede John Vavartos Converse shoes that are better matched with a nice pair of jeans and a button down than a pair of basketball shorts and a graphic tee. A nice replacement for some Clark’s Wallabees I destroyed in a foot of snow in Manhattan earlier this year.

Outdoors: Mt. Hood / The Gorge – Not the most daunting hike, but certainly a good workout, especially when you make the wrong turn and end up putting in an extra mile or two worth of trail running than originally planned. Beautiful views of the Columbia River and the Cascade Mountains.

Getting Around: Public Transit – Arguably the most sound multi-modal transportation city in America. Clearly marked bike lanes everywhere; pedestrian-friendly streets all over town; an urban core supported by multiple rail and street car lines, many of which are free; and highways that actually make sense. Sure the costs are enormous…but so are the long-term effects of poor public schools, but Texas (that means you too, Austin) doesn’t seem to have a problem rushing to do that. Why the hesitancy on light rail? 

Socializing: Diversity – Portland suffers from three things that make it one of the whitest cities in America. One, they lack a major state university (U of O is in Eugene and Oregon State is in Corvalis). Two, the government jobs that Austin maintains thanks to its seat as the state capital aren’t around because Salem is Oregon’s capital. Three, the lack of a major “second” demographic like Austin’s Hispanic population (less than 10 percent of Portland residents are) give the city no chance at giving off the impression that the diversity is actually a lot better than you’ve heard; something city’s like Boston and Minneapolis have managed to do for years.

Eating: Mother’s Bistro and Bar – Brunch is my favorite meal of the day, week, month or year. In Austin, I have Frank’s and Mulberry. In Brooklyn, I have Char No. 4. In Charleston, there’s Jestine’s. In Chicago, it’s the Bongo Room in Wicker Park. And now I have my spot in Portland. Big thanks to the most awesome waiter ever, Jason! Food and service was so good we went back two days in a row.

Drinking: Ron Tom’s – In a city like Atlanta, it’d be a bar full of HBCU graduates dressed to the nines and staring at each other; too self-conscious to dance even after paying $20 to get in. In Brooklyn, it’d be turned into some kind of music venue where you could see Theophilus London perform. In Portland, it’s a hipster dive bar with plenty of lounge space.

Late Night Entertainment: Sassy’s – I never would’ve imagined that Portland would be home to such awesome strip clubs, but lo’ and behold this dive bar manages to be part social hangout, part sex fantasy hideout. If you’re into tattoos and Olympic-level gymnastics demonstrations, this is your spot.

All in all, I really liked Portland. The weather and so-so live music scene in comparison to Austin prevent me from putting it ahead of city’s like San Francisco while it’s lack of diversity prevents me from saying I adored it as much as Seattle and D.C., but to say the city was everything I expected it to be would be a very fair summary. I’m pretty sure I’ll be visiting Portlandia again in the near future. Hopefully I’ll get to check out a good show or Trail Blazers game.

Re-Blog: Lessons We’re Learning Riding Mass Transit by Leo Babauta

For almost a year now, my wife Eva, my six kids and I have been walking and riding mass transit almost exclusively.

We have bikes but we’re still new to them, and we also use City Carshare for longer trips out of the city. But for everything else, it’s walking and mass transit — for meeting with people, going to restaurants and movies and museums and parks, for grocery shopping (we only buy what we can carry), farmer’s markets, fairs, visiting relatives, and more.

It’s been one of the best things ever for us.

We’ve adjusted from being car users when we were on Guam. I love walking tremendously (I can walk anywhere in the city), but I also love the mass transit … for the lessons it has taught my family.

Some of the lessons we’ve learned so far:

1. How to wait. Mass transit isn’t always on time (surprise!). But rather than look at that as a reason why riding buses and trains suck, we learn how to see that as an opportunity. My boys climb trees while I do pullups and (admittedly rudimentary) gymnastics from a low branch. We tell jokes and I swing the little kids around. We share things with each other, make each other laugh. It’s a good time.

2. How to walk. Mass transit doesn’t take you everywhere, so we walk more than most families. That’s a great thing. Even my little ones are in pretty good shape and rarely complain about walking. We deal with the weather, which is something most people don’t do, as they’re cut off from the world in their glass and metal boxes. Truthfully, we don’t always walk — we love to race each other up hills and be out of breath. It’s wonderful.

3. How to deal with humanity. We’re often shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers, which is something you never experience with a car. We deal with smells, with annoying people, with those who talk loudly, with the mentally challenged, with plain crazy people. In other words, with people. And this is a great thing. We learn that we come in all shapes and sizes, that life isn’t the perfect picket fences you see on TV, that the world is real … and that that’s OK. We’re learning to celebrate differences.

4. How to live sustainably. We haven’t cut our emissions to zero, but by the simple act of giving up a car, we’ve cut our use of resources and our emissions down more than most people will by recycling, buying less, using less heat, using less paper, etc. I’m not saying this to brag, or to judge others. I’m saying we’re learning, and while we have a lot to learn, I think we’re making progress.

5. That transit can be more convenient than cars. Sure, it’s nice to be able to hop in your car and go somewhere quickly, no matter the weather. That’s convenient. But there are inconveniences with cars that we forget about: the frustrations of parking (especially in San Francisco), traffic jams, rude drivers, car accidents, flat tires, car maintenance, having to stop for gas, having to actually drive instead of relaxing on the trip, sitting all the time instead of moving around, and more. Again, I’m not judging cars, but all of that, if you think about it, makes riding on a bus or train actually seem nice.

6. How to live frugally. My kids aren’t poor, but I want to teach them that there are good ways of living that don’t have to cost a lot. That spending money for conveniences isn’t necessarily a good thing. We shop at Goodwill, ride transit, cook in big batches, eat little meat (my wife and I eat none). We’re not the most thrifty ever, but we’re teaching the kids that it’s possible. (Read more.)

7. How to live with less control. When you have a car, you feel that things are under your control (forgetting about traffic, accidents and the like). But when you’re riding mass transit, things are not under your control. You’re at the mercy of the schedule, of drivers, of other people slowing the system down, of trains breaking down and backing the system up, and so on. You learn to let go of the illusion of control, and to deal with changes as they come. This is a miraculous lesson.