About Stakeholders

Can a Stakeholder be represented by more than one person (i.e. for people that are in and out of town a lot)?

This is a question that will be addressed at one of the first Stakeholder meetings.  So far, when the Steering Committee has discussed it, we think that if people "tag team", it will be incumbent on those individuals to be sure that they bring themselves up to date on what has transpired at previous meetings. 

Will Stakeholders be able to restate the mission as their own mission statement?
“Tourism business development” already looks like it’s written to exclude people that don’t believe in developing more business. Is there room for consideration of viewpoints that think the level of development Sitka already has is enough?

There will be a point in the process where the stakeholders will re-evaluate the mission statement. Because the collaborative process is seen by some to be threatening, the Long-Range Planning Commission strived to make the mission statement inclusive, not exclusive. But if it needs to be changed to more accurately reflect the mission of the Stakeholder group then that's what will have to happen.

The most important point in the process right now is not the wording of the mission statement but that we assemble a group of Stakeholders that reflect all the diverse perspectives of tourism in Sitka. Certainly, people advocating for slow development or no further development are a part of that.

The timetable shows two meetings per month for March, April, May and then again in August, Sept. Oct., but information elsewhere says "At least two meetings per month."  Might there be more than two meetings per month?

It’s hard to say because ultimately it’s up to the Stakeholders and Steering Committee to decide together. But we might suggest meeting weekly from March 18 through April 29, probably for 3 - 4 hours. That gives us seven meetings total before summer break - we may take some weeks off or do a mix of weeknights and weekends, but it is hard to imagine getting what we need accomplished in less than 5 meetings. In the 'twice per month' scenario, the meetings will need to last 6 - 8 hours.

Would the meetings be available by audio conference if a Stakeholder had to be out of town?

There probably will not be much value in that - these are not going to be run like Assembly or Commission meetings, where people take turns making statements. In the Stakeholder meetings there will be a lot of small group work, with periodic reporting made to the larger group, then a final full-group consensus on whatever the issue is that we are grappling with on that session. So much of this process relies on developing relationships within the Stakeholder group, which doesn't work well in audio conferencing.

We are sensitive to the fact that not everyone will be able to attend every meeting. We will make every effort to make the process transparent and get notes from the meetings out to the public as soon as possible. If you are a Stakeholder and have to miss a meeting, it will be your responsibility to catch up on what happened during your absence. If you choose not to be a Stakeholder, there will other chances for you to engage in the process.

The first meeting is set for Tuesday for two hours.  Do you foresee that all the meetings will be on Tuesdays?  And would they be expected to last two hours or would they most likely be longer?

This will ultimately be up to the Stakeholders, but we believe future meetings will need to be at least 3 hours long. There is so much happening in our community from now to summer that at any time there will be conflicts, but we may propose weekly evening meeting and perhaps a weekend meeting once a month. And, while we hope to accomplish the first meeting in two hours, future meetings will likely be longer if we want to make progress before summer.

There is a statement about "possible" meetings in the summer, but the schedule shows four meetings.  What are the expectations for summertime?

It’s hard to say at this point what the summer meetings will look like. The meeting schedule will definitely be less rigorous in the summertime. However, there may be some business that needs to continue through the summer. This could potentially be handled by a subcommittee that will report back to the larger group for consensus – but all of this will be worked out within the Stakeholder group.

Are Stakeholders needed for the assembly updates or is that a function of the committee?

No, the Steering Committee will handle those.

If a Stakeholder presents an idea in the beginning of the process, but that Stakeholder leaves the group, will the idea stay in with the process?

Yes. We will keep track of all ideas proposed during Stakeholder meetings, and they will not necessarily be associated with individual who suggests them. In addition, the goal is that the work of the Stakeholder group is not just done during the meetings, but that the Stakeholders will be talking with other community members and bringing what they learn back to the table at meetings. Therefore, ideas will not just come from the Stakeholders, but hopefully from the entire community.

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About Other Public Involvement

I want to be involved with this process, but I don’t have time to be a Stakeholder. Are there other ways I can have a voice?

The goal is that the work of the Stakeholder group is not just done during the meetings, but that the entire community is engaged in a dialogue about whatever issue is on the table. Stakeholders will be talking with other community members and bringing what they learn back to the table at meetings.

We also plan to have call-in radio shows, public forums, and other ways to keep the whole community engaged. Still, the best way to stay close to the process is to find someone in the
Stakeholder group and talk with that person about what is going on.

Can questions/concerns be addressed via the website?

We will keep a Frequently Asked Questions page, and there is an email address where you can send in questions or concerns for a personal response.

I’m not comfortable using the web. Are there other ways to stay informed about the process?

Hard copies of all documents and meeting notes will be kept at Kettleson Library and can be reviewed there. Also, keep your eyes and ears open for public dialogues on the radio, through other media, and informally with Stakeholders.

How will the perspectives of visitors be represented?

Right now the expectation is that there will be maybe one meeting per month in the summer for the Stakeholders.  One of those meetings could be a time when visitors are invited to attend as "content experts".  These content experts could address the Stakeholders about issues that the Stakeholders want more information about. We may also construct a survey, or explore other ways to get feedback.

Do you need to be a year-round resident to have a voice in this? What about people who just live here in the summer?

This is a good question! We will strive to find ways to engage those folks who are only in Sitka part-time.

If the community attendance at the public meetings is low, won’t it be hard to get the community engaged and informed?

In addition to periodic public meetings there is a web site, a planned radio call-in show, and, most importantly, the opportunity to converse with the Stakeholders themselves.

Well-attended public meetings can be the result of two things: the strategies that the Steering Committee uses to choose and advertise where and when the meetings will be held; and the community’s interest in the topic. If there is due diligence from the Steering Committee to get the word out, then it is up to the community to decide whether to engage in the process or not.

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About the Process

Have you identified ways to avoid the stalemate that is happening in Juneau with their collaborative planning process?

A conversation with one of the people in the planning department in Juneau revealed a lot about how Juneau got to the stalemate they are in now.  It seems they didn't get the whole community engaged early in the process of their tourism planning. They have years of plans that no one can agree about.  As a last resort they have decided to use the collaborative process to try to not only address issues there, but to build some trust among their citizenry.  We were encouraged to "learn from Juneau" so what I learned was that we should start with the best process and know that while it may take a bit longer than we hope, it will result in 2 lasting products: a plan written on paper that reflects the wishes of our community, and a feeling of trust in our community that will allow us to deal with any new tourism issues in constructive ways.

What issues/topics will this plan encompass?

Early in the Stakeholder meetings the group will decide what a plan should include.

Will the outcome of this process (the plan) ultimately go to a vote in the public, or does it automatically get implemented? Who will feel the influence of this report (i.e. Assembly, Tribal government, businesses, etc.)?

There will be a document drafted that will be called “The Long Range Tourism Plan.” What is contained in this document will be decided within the process, but will likely be a series of principles, recommendations, and strategies. These may, in turn, result in specific actions from the Assembly. It will be up to the members of the community and its elected officials to implement the strategies.

In addition to this document, there will be a core group of very diverse citizens who, through the collaborative process, will be experts on the issues, vision, and strategies to achieve that vision surrounding tourism in Sitka. And, through the ongoing community dialogue, every citizen in Sitka who has a stake in the visitor industry in Sitka will have many opportunities to engage in a public process to decide what the future visitor industry in Sitka should look like.

If done well, this process will truly reflect the will of the community of Sitka. It will be up to this community to guide our elected officials, as well as the business, tribal, and government leaders in embracing this vision.

How committed is the Assembly to this process? Will they really take the Stakeholders’ recommendations?

I think that we have the majority of the Assembly's support.  They will continue to be supportive if they see that the community (voters) is behind it. Whether or not they take the Stakeholders’ recommendations will depend on two things.  One is that we do our work correctly up front and have a group that has diversity and credibility so that the Assembly feels that this group does reflect our community at large.  The other thing will depend on the follow-through from the stakeholders and the community. If necessary, we will have to hold the Assembly accountable to implement the recommendations that this plan may put forth.

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