Long Grove is no different than any other municipality in our desire to make decisions that are in the best interests of the majority of our residents. And like other municipalities, we tend to see and hear from the same group of familiar faces at each and every Village Board meeting. While we sincerely appreciate the dedication and personal commitment of these individuals, it is not realistic to believe that the same handful of residents are consistently speaking for the other 8,000 members of our community.

Today, the Village launched a new online tool that we hope will make it easier for the majority of our residents to become more engaged with the Village Board. Peak Democracy is a non-partisan company with the mission of broadening civic engagement and building public trust in government. We have utilized their software to create an online forum in which all residents can weigh in on important current issues and post statements, which Village officials can read and consider as part of the decision making process. From time to time the Village will post topics for input over a specific period of time. Residents who participate can also have the ability to see what others are saying in the discussion. We are hopeful that this additional way of getting feedback from the residents will enable more community members to participate in the democratic process.

Please join in on our first topic, which is a short survey asking for your thoughts on our current Village of Long Grove communications and outreach efforts. Click here ( http://www.longgrove.net/content/open-village-hall ) to go directly to the Open Town Hall site and complete the brief one-time registration. You will be asked to provide your name and address so that users and officials can know if statements are made from Long Grove residents. The current survey can be completed without your responses being publicly linked to your name. Peak Democracy has strict provisions in regards to confidentiality.

I hope many readers of this blog will join in the conversation. It would be a wonderful thing to see more of our residents making their opinions known about what is happening in our Village. I realize that in today’s world the demands on all of us are great. Many of the members of our community lack the time or ability to physically attend our Village Board meetings. Yet so many of you truly care about civic matters and the direction our elected officials take on important issues. We want to hear from you!