BUILDING FOR SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY - Kennedy Bibliothek

1 the Mayor 2
4 the Public 5
the Council
T.V. 6
3 the Executive Committee
Press 7 Rostrum for Speakers
The notes which follow are a description of the Pontiac planning process,
since it is a good example of this mechanism in action, its advantages and
its drawbacks.
51. The meetings were chaired by the Mayor (1 in the diagram). The
Council was composed of 36 citizens, appointed by the Mayor to represent
various aspects of community life (industry, commerce, the churches, the
arts, health, ecology, etc.). Every meeting was open to the public, and
the press and television were invited. The Executive Committee was composed
of public officials representing various departments or bureaux
(housing, education, health, parks, public finance, public works and engineering,
etc.). The small square in the middle of' the diagram is the
rostrum from which a professional (educator, health consultant, architect,
etc.) made his presentation.
52. The purpose of the Council was to debate the issues and to make recommendations
to the Mayor and to the Executive Committee. The public
was invited by the Council to present its views and to debate the issues;
but only the Council could make recommendations. In parliamentary terms,
the Council was an equivalent of a legislature.
53. The purpose of the Executive Committee was to say whether the recommendations
were practical, and whether they could be implemented. Thus
in parliamentary terms, this committee was the executive arm of the process.
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