Citizen group conducts survey to measure council’s efforts to engage public

London Community News

A group of London residents are conducting a survey to find out exactly what city council is doing to inform and engage the public. Through the study — which is called Citizen Engagement in London Ontario (CELO) — mailing lists and newsletters, town hall meetings, ward events and social media will be examined through a 25-question survey given to councillors. Susan Toth, an individual involved with the study, said voter turnout rates are dropping across the country and engagement is a major factor in whether people decide to vote. “We want to know what council is doing to engage its constituents,” Toth said, adding the survey should take approximately 10 minutes for councillors to complete. The group sent the survey to council members on Sept. 17 and set a deadline of Oct. 1. Council members who do not finish the questionnaire will have be branded “incomplete” on the survey’s website. “We’ve done our best to be transparent and objective,” Toth said. “The goal isn’t to pass judgment, the goal is to identify which tools are being used.” The CELO group also intends to offer training to any councillor who want to learn more about the variety of communication tools available to them. To find out which council members have completed the CELO survey already, visit http://ldnccreportcard.wordpress.com. Visit the site on Oct. 9 to see the final report. Find us on Facebook: London Community News