Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Denver committee hears briefing on civic assemblies as a tool for shared decision‑making
Summary
Councilmembers heard an informational briefing on civic assemblies — randomly selected, demographically representative citizen panels — as a potential mechanism for making deliberative recommendations on issues such as housing. Presenters described selection mechanics, professional facilitation, a proposed living‑wage stipend and cautioned about scope and implementation details.
Council President Amanda Sandoval opened the Budget & Policy Committee meeting where Councilwoman Chantal Lewis presented an informational briefing on civic assemblies, a deliberative process that assembles a demographically representative group of residents to learn about an issue and produce recommendations. "This is not an advisory body," Lewis said, stressing that assemblies should be treated as an equal power by decision makers.
The presenters — including Rishon Bliss of the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation and representatives from Healthy Democracy, the Civic Canopy and the National Civic League — laid out mechanics: invitations sent by lottery to households create an opt‑in pool that…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
