While watching television a few days ago, I noticed there are two types of home improvement shows. In some, the viewer is shown what a finished landscape or interior design looks like. The others show not only the finished product, but also how the skilled craftspeople arrived at the result.
And when it comes to government, some people are content to see that potholes are filled, clean water comes from the tap and parks are open to enjoy. But for others, they want to see how the results are achieved.
For those people who are interested in seeing behind-the-scenes, we have created Pinellas Citizen University (PCU). This 10-week course in county government allows citizens to see operations in-depth and get an opportunity to get their hands on the latest equipment that helps county employees provide excellent service. Our county is their campus!
Each week’s two and a half-hour class is not what you might expect. Beverley Shipley, a graduate of the very first PCU session, observed: “This isn’t a class to sit still and have someone lecture you. This is a wear your jeans, running shoes and roll up your sleeves class where students get involved.”
The activities start immediately when the students meet County Administrator Stephen Spratt and try their hand at balancing the county’s $1.5 billion budget. From there, students have the opportunity to plan for the approach of a simulated hurricane, take a private tour of the Florida Botanical Gardens and Heritage Village and see how the county’s trash is handled.
They get to meet the people in county government who make policies and carry out the day-to-day work of making Pinellas a great place to call home. Whether it is the panel discussion with the sheriff, public defender, state attorney and a judge or the 911 operator, student feedback has consistently rated the expertise, enthusiasm and professionalism of each county employee as top notch. Harriet Phillips, a graduate of the second session, remarked: “As you can tell, I’m very impressed with the employees and the work that is being performed.”
One interesting observation about our classes is that residents of every age and walk of life are participating. Our students have ranged in age from 19 to 85, and we have seen professionals, students, retirees, homemakers and many more. We have had married couples attend along with parents and their grown children.
The overriding similarity in all of our students has been the desire to learn all they can about how their county government works. And many of them have gone on to use their new knowledge to make their community a better place by serving on advisory boards, citizen committees and as volunteers.
(For more information on PCU, go to the Pinellas County Web site at www.pinellascounty.org or contact Ronnie Goodstein, Pinellas County public affairs director: (727) 464-4600.)
