Have You Ever Spoken Up at a Public Hearing?

As a former government reporter, I’ve probably sat through at least a few hundred public hearings at meetings of city and county councils, school boards and even state legislative committees.

Sometimes they’re well attended (particularly in Durham, a city where residents actually come out to speak on everything from speed humps to theater designs). But often the public never shows up and residents lose their chance to have any say with a quick tap of the gavel.

It’s disappointing more people don’t get involved in the way governments spend their taxes. But it’s not always convenient to show up to city hall in the evening and wait your turn to speak. Apparently a Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools’ administrator recognizes this. The Herald-Sun reports today that Steve Scroggs has started a blog to generate feedback from the public on the district’s 10-year plan for building and renovating new schools.

The Bow Tie Blog (called such because Scroggs apparently is fond of donning the old-fashioned neckware) might generate feedback from people who care about the district’s future but for whatever reason can’t make it to public meetings on the topic. Seems like it will work well if people are candid about their identity. But how much consideration/weight do you think should be given to comments that are posted anonymously?