April 11: Participatory Budgeting presentation and panel

Hey, I'm swiping the whole rest of this post from The Springfield Institute (check them out) because I'm part of the panel, but somehow I didn't catch that David Panagore was a co-panelist.....David Panagore, former chief development office for Springfield's former Finance Control Board....who slid Palmer Renewable Energy's proposal for a construction and demolition-burning biomass incinerator so easily through the City Council and the local permitting process in 2008.  Wonder what he thinks of it all now?  I'll have to make sure I ask him.

Participatory Budgeting: International trend, local possibilities

By

Aron Goldman

– March 31, 2011Posted in: Economic & workforce development, Featured, Green jobs/economy, Local democracy & civic engagement

Date: April 11, 2011, 4-5:30 pm (RSVP here)
Location: Springfield Technical Community College, Scibelli Hall (Bldg 2), 7th Floor
Presenters: Chicago Alderman Joe Moore; Gianpaolo Baiocchi, Brown University; José Tosado, Springfield City Council President; David Panagore, City of Hartford Chief Operations Officer; Michaelann Bewsee, Arise for Social Justice Executive Director; Ayanna Crawford, education consultant.
First developed in Brazil, Participatory Budgeting (PB) has spread throughout Latin America and has been implemented in over 1,000 municipalities worldwide. But it has only recently arrived in the US—in Chicago’s 49th Ward. Chicago Alderman Joe Moore, named the “Most Valuable Local Official” in the country by The Nation, will share his experience implementing PB in his ward. (Over 1,600 residents came together to directly decide how to allocate a $1.3 million discretionary budget.) Brazillian PB expert from Brown University, Gianpaolo Baiocchi, will briefly provide some international context. Then, a dynamic group of officials and community leaders will consider the value of such a model for their own constituents, and audience interaction will follow.
All are welcome. Event sponsors: Springfield Technical Community College, The Springfield Institute, and groups from Amherst College. More background on PB here: www.participatorybudgeting.org