Putting knowledge to work with t

Putting knowledge to work with the people of Maine

Maine Solutions

Discussion Paper

Summary

This discussion paper outlines Maine Solutions, a new program for University of Maine Cooperative Extension to help maintain, sustain and strengthen the long-term vitality of Maine communities. Maine Solutions will assist communities address environmental, economic and community issues through an established collaborative governance model. Cooperative Extension will host the program and work with partners throughout the state to implement projects that advance collaborative solutions and provide access to high quality conflict resolution services. The goal is to build community capacity to use collaboration for policy making and problem solving. As an outcome, public, nonprofit and private sector leaders at the local and statewide level will identify appropriate opportunities for collaborative processes and leverage resources to see them to successful conclusion.

The Need

Within Maine communities and across the state, pressing issues of growth and development, taxation, healthcare, environmental protection, and economic development are at the forefront of the public agenda. Too often, traditional methods of addressing these issues leave communities divided or fail to achieve the desired results.

Maine Solutions might be employed in the following situations:

· a proposed new residential development that will have an impact on existing neighborhoods, businesses, parks, views, or other existing interests

· a proposed new facility or investment in infrastructure (e.g., waste treatment, energy production, prison, school, park) that is expected to create concerns in the community

· a targeted program or policy that needs to be developed to accomplish specific goals (e.g., fisheries management, recreational/commercial natural resource uses, regional cooperation or consolidation of municipal or other services, downtown revitalization, school truancy, stormwater management, reducing nonpoint source pollution, retrofitting or upgrading community wastewater treatment, sustainable agriculture)

· an ongoing project that has hit snags, resistance, or costly delays in the design or implementation phase

· training in collaborative governance for boards, committees and organizations that have long term responsibility for implementing public policy and managing public resources (e.g., municipal shellfish committees, local lobster management zone councils).

Background

In an effort to increase the use of collaborative processes in Maine an informal working group sponsored a forum in June of 2005 bringing together more than 70 people to learn about and discuss successful projects in Maine and hear from Lawrence Susskind, an international consensus building expert. Cooperative Extension was a co-sponsor of the conference. Case study presentations included Mount Desert Island Tomorrow, in Hancock County, Community by Design, in York County and the Georges River Clam Management Project in Knox County, all associated with Cooperative Extension. Other members of the working group included State Representative Ted Koffman, of College of the Atlantic and head of the ECO-ECO Policy Forum in Maine, Jack Kartez, of the Muskie School, University of Southern Maine and Diane Kenty Director of Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Program in Maine and a board member of the Policy Consensus Initiative and National Policy Consensus Center (PCI/NPCC) (www.policyconsensus.org). [1]

Following the forum, members of the working group pursued creation of a Maine Solutions program modeled on Oregon Solutions, (www.orsolutions.org) described below, a project of NPCC which is being piloted in several other states with PCI/NPCC assistance. As Maine Solutions assists Maine communities address local issues and leverage resources, it will also serve as a lead national model with the other solutions programs.

The Elements of Public Solutions Model

The table below describes the elements of the public solutions model developed in Oregon. This model, and it’s “systems” approach, recognizes that when an issue emerges, the involvement of key players of all sectors in a neutral, transparent and equitable forum will result in lasting, effective solutions with “ownership” by stakeholders. To do this effectively, the stakeholders need the assistance of leaders from their community to convene the process, along with a sponsor and a neutral forum to oversee the process.

In Oregon the program is designed around sustainable community objectives for the economy, the community, and the environment. The organizing principles make it easier to identify collaborative projects, decide which ones to pursue and gather stakeholders in a way that enhances opportunities to achieve and implement agreements. A key component of solutions projects is attracting new resources to help solve the issue or take advantage of opportunities.

A successful project results in a Declaration of Cooperation. Although not legally binding, the signed Declaration ensures accountability and serves as an implementation and monitoring mechanism. Oregon Solutions has an informal goal of reaching a Declaration in 3 meetings, however 4-5 meetings are common and one has had as many as 8. This limited and concerted effort is possible because projects are discrete and well defined and because the project manager also does a good bit of work offline between the meetings. The typical cost for a project is $10,000-18,000.

In establishing a Maine Solutions Program, careful discussion will be needed to determine which aspects are transferable from Oregon and other states and what might need to be altered for local application. For example, Virginia Solutions has conducted some training and obtained funding to conduct two pilot projects in a program housed at the University of Virginia Institute for Environmental Negotiation.

PUBLIC SOLUTIONS MODEL

*The best public solutions come when people work together on issues.* The Public Solutions collaborative governance model is one where leaders convene all sectors – public, private, and civic - to develop effective, lasting solutions to public problems that go beyond what any sector could achieve on its own.
ISSUES	PUBLIC SOLUTIONS FOR COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE			SOLUTIONS
	PRINCIPLES	SYSTEM	NETWORK
Issues are good candidates for successful collaboration when: · Many levels of government and sectors need to be involved · No single entity has control · There is a need to move forward OR · Opportunities emerge and people are ready to work together · Leaders step forward	The model is based on these principles: · Transparency and Accountability · Equity and Inclusiveness · Effectiveness and Efficiency · Responsiveness · Forum Neutrality · Consensus-Based Decision making	The model integrates the principles and networks to assure an effective collaborative governance process: · Sponsors identify and raise an issue · Assessment is made of the feasibility for collaboration and who needs to be involved · Leaders convene all needed participants · Participants adopt this framework for addressing the issue · Conveners and participants frame (or reframe) the issue for deliberation · Neutral forum/facilitator designs and conducts a process to negotiate interests and integrate resources Written agreement establishes accountability	The model relies on a: Sponsor: A leader from an agency, community foundation, civic organization, etc. Convener – An elected leader: governor, legislator, mayor, commissioner, county or city manager, respected civic leader, etc. Neutral Forum – A university or other consensus center or program, and a skilled impartial facilitator Participants – From all sectors including public, private, civic, and others	Solutions reached through collaborative governance are: Lasting -- Solutions developed through collaborative governance won't simply be undone in the next year or legislative session. Effective -- Collaborative governance ensures that the realities of the situation are considered and discussed; decisions are not made in a vacuum. Have more buy-in -- From the outset, all with a stake are involved in authentic ways; all have a role in the final agreement.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension has a long and rich history of service to the residents of Maine who regard it as a resource for unbiased information and high quality technical assistance. Cooperative Extension’s mission is: “To help Maine people improve their lives through an educational process that uses research-based knowledge focused on issues and needs.”

In its strategic plan Cooperative Extension outlines programs that enable Maine residents to:

§ make decisions about their lives and the resources at their disposal to improve health, economic well-being and satisfaction

§ know where to find reliable information and how to use it in addressing the issues they face, individually and collectively, through voluntary action

§ see themselves as citizens of a nation and a planet where human culture is related to the protection and stewardship of natural resources

§ recognize their relationships to one another and act in ways that honor and respect all people

§ direct public policy through active participation in identifying problems, selecting among alternative solutions and setting priorities for action

§ understand the inter-relationship of their individual actions with issues facing communities and the state.

Cooperative Extension is uniquely situated to oversee this effort with offices and staff throughout the state, a reputation as a resource and neutral forum, and history of stakeholder engagement and a tradition of cross sector partnerships. Cooperative Extension’s 2007-2011 Plan of Work includes program goals to increase community capacity to utilize collaborative processes to resolve issues and take advantage of opportunities.

Within the Maine Solutions project, Cooperative Extension will provide the framework for the Solutions model. As such, the role of Cooperative Extension will be to:

§ Help build institutional capacity within Maine for residents and organizations to increase their ability to undertake and engage in collaborative efforts in the future on their own initiative

§ Partner with other universities, nonprofits and private sector entities to assist them in implementing projects

§ Liaise with PCI/NPCC to share and gather lessons from other Solutions programs and best practices around the country

§ Train community partners and organizational leaders in collaborative practice

Cooperative Extension has begun to convene an advisory committee with individuals from the public, private and nonprofit sectors. State Representatives Chris Rector (R) of Thomaston and Ted Koffman (D) of Bar Harbor have agreed to co-chair the committee. Members will be familiar with the use collaborative techniques in public policy issues and be seen as credible conveners and sponsors of process. The committee will serve initially to help identify program objectives, guiding principles and to provide feedback and advice on the design and implementation of the program as a whole. On an ongoing basis they will assist in identifying potential funding sources and projects and assist in evaluating projects.

The Solutions project manager provides staff support to the community convener and implements the Community Governance process. (Usually, the project manager will be a faculty or professional staff member of Cooperative Extension. In some projects, a project manager outside of Cooperative Extension may serve on a contract basis). He/she is responsible for coordinating the following:

· Establishing a collaborative process with the convener that meets Solutions’ objectives, resolving impediments and challenges as they arise.

· Organizing a Maine Solutions Team of non-profit, business, and government organizations that are needed or can contribute to the solution.

· Educating team members about Maine Solutions, the collaborative process, and its governance system.

· Developing an integrated solution that supports identified program [economic, environmental, and community] objectives simultaneously and does not violate any of the objectives.

· Drafting and signature gathering of a declaration of cooperation that commits time and resources of team members to the project after the project manager leaves.

In conversations with the advisory committee co-chairs and others, three potential projects have been discussed to pilot Maine Solutions:

Pilot projects would give Cooperative Extension and the Maine Solutions advisory committee opportunities to refine the collaborative process and develop procedures and best practices.
Maine Solutions Goal and Activities 2006

To define and establish a Maine Solutions program within Cooperative Extension to address community issues through collaborative governance processes and move from ad hoc to a more routine way to access assistance when opportunities and challenges present themselves throughout Maine.

§ Convene a core group to explore support and participation for the program. These individuals have been identified and a meeting scheduled.

§ With input from the core group establish an interim advisory committee from the public, nonprofit and private sector. This committee will help establish guiding principles, promote the program, identify issue areas for initial focus and advise on long-term sustainable funding sources.

§ Secure funding for Maine Solutions Project manager, (part-time within Cooperative Extension) for three years

§ Announce establishment of Maine Solutions, meet with leaders to educate them about the program, gain support of leaders and commitment to operating principles.

§ Identify additional sources of funding and write grant applications for 2-3 pilot projects to be conducted in 2006.

§ Recruit and train additional Cooperative Extension staff as partners in the project

§ Implement any changes in the Maine Solutions recommended as an outcome of the pilot projects.

§ Continue to identify and assess results, raise funds and select other projects to continue the work of Maine Solutions.

Text Box: www.umext.maine.edu

For more information: Ron Beard, Extension Educator, Hancock County Extension Office
e-mail: rbeard@umext.maine.edu

The University of Maine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.
Cooperative Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.
A Member of the University of Maine System

Assist with orientation of members of the Maine State Legislature, following their election in November, 2006.

[1] These national nonprofit organizations based at Portland State University in Oregon that work together with states to promote collaboration to achieve more effective governance and provide assistance to state leaders in addressing difficult policy issues using consensus-based governing models. Bill Logue is assisting PCI/NPCC with efforts in Maine.