Portsmouth, N.H.: Where public dialogue is a hallmark of community life

by Gloria F. Mengual

June 1, 2003 | | Portsmouth, NH

Roll a snowball down a hill and, as it grows, it will develop velocity through its sheer volume. That's what's happened in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

After three positive experiences with community-based study circles on bullying in schools, on school redistricting and, more recently, to provide input to the city's 10-year plan all kinds of Portsmouth residents are finding their voice on issues affecting the quality of their lives.

Even though the 10-year master plan has not been finalized, the planning board has already taken action. A member of the city's planning board who also sits on the city council made a "to do" list from the study circle Phase I reports, and presented some of the ideas to both the planning board and the council. The board has endorsed a proposal to purchase 10 acres of green space for conservation, and the proposal is now being reviewed by the city council.

Accepting social responsibility

With strong backing from the mayor, the city manager, the planning department, and city council members, the planning board endorsed study circles as a way to generate citizen input for the city's master plan.

"A master plan is not just about bricks and mortar," noted Jim Noucas, an attorney in Portsmouth who along with Seacoast Newspapers publisher John Tabor, co-chairs Portsmouth Listens, the local group that organized the study circles on the master plan. "It is about accepting the social responsibilities we have, both as individuals and as a community."

Noucas and the Portsmouth Listens committee have concentrated on making the process inclusive, assuring that people from all parts of the community help plan the program and join in the discussions.

In January 2003, nearly 300 participants voices from every sector of the city took part in Phase I of the study circles to define what quality of life means to Portsmouth residents, and recommend ways to sustain it. At a public meeting on April 3, reports from every circle were presented to the city's planning board, with about 80 percent of the participants attending.

Recommendations from the circles included providing affordable places for artists to live and work; replacing the present scrap metal eyesore that makes up this coastal community's port with homes and stores; downtown community enhancements; and converting a button factory into residences.

Emphasizing action

In mid-April, Portsmouth Listens kicked off Phase II of the discussion on the master plan. This time, the emphasis was on action. Each of the seven Phase II groups identified an issue affecting the community's quality of life (transportation, preserving open space, the arts and culture, the environment, housing, economic development, and redefining downtown) and discussed potential actions related to their selected topic.

They reported their recommendations to the Portsmouth Planning Board in mid-July. This fall, the board will review each circle's suggestions on the master plan, and early in 2004, study circle participants will have an opportunity to review the revised plan and make final comments.

The effectiveness of this round of study circles demonstrates Portsmouth's growing capacity to find solutions to public problems. Using study circles to address concerns on a variety of issues, Portsmouth residents are creating a public "space" where they can air their differences constructively and work together productively.

It hasn't happened overnight.

Tackling education issues

Four years ago, Days of Dialogue: Respectful Schools gave Portsmouth residents their first taste of study circles. Two hundred sixth-graders from Portsmouth Middle School and 75 adults community leaders, parents, and business people met to talk about bullying and other student behavior issues. While the groups were meeting, the shootings at Columbine High School made the national news.

While study circles at the middle school led to increased awareness and a decline in bullying, they did something equally important: They helped different community factions connect. "Adults in the community, especially seniors, expressed surprise about how so many youth had meaningful things to say. They were also surprised to hear that, in certain areas of the school, the students wanted more, not less of an adult presence," noted Noucas. "Sixth-graders were surprised that adults would even listen to what they had to say. People left with a positive perception, not only of the kids, but of the school."

A year later, Nansi Craig, a member of Portsmouth's school board who had taken part in the study circles at the middle school, suggested that the best way to help the community address an emotionally charged school redistricting issue would be to hold a round of study circles. Prior attempts to resolve the schools' lopsided enrollments and space problems had failed in the wake of bitter public argument over the issue during city council meetings.

More than 100 people took part in the circles, which had equal representation from each school district. And holding each session at a different elementary school helped participants see for themselves the effects of overcrowding. The final report from the study circles, Rethinking Instead of Redistricting, provided input directly to the Board of Education Redistricting Committee.

One resident who attends most town council meetings and consistently opposes increased taxes, participated in a study circle and supported the recommendations, including spending $1.7 million for improvements at Dondero School, and added classroom space at another elementary school.

"People who are dead set against increased spending had a first-hand view of how crowded and in need of things some schools were," observed Jim Noucas. "But beyond fiscal issues, they also saw the nurturing environment of each school setting, not only through what was up on the walls in hallways and classrooms, but through their interactions with parents from other schools. Realizing that another parent is just as concerned about his child as I am about mine has a powerful impact."

Everyone welcome at the "table"

Using study circles on a range of issues, and making sure that everyone feels welcome at the table, Portsmouth Listens offers residents one more way to voice their views during the community's decision-making process. In Portsmouth, public dialogue and collaborative decision-making are becoming a hallmark of community life.

*The public presentation is now available on streaming video through the city website: www.cityofportsmouth.com. A written report from each study circle is available at www.portsmouthlistens.com.

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