The Association of Washington Cities (AWC) builds connections between our state’s diverse cities and towns, while providing our members with the support needed to thrive through delivery of data-driven education, nationally recognized pooling programs, and nonpartisan advocacy. In 2023 our Board of Directors identified increased political partisanship and a decline in civil discourse as top threats facing our organization, and our cities. Our own polling shows that an overwhelming majority (85%) want their local leaders to treat each other with respect and civility, and to work together to get positive results even if they have political differences.
To that end, AWC was honored to be a part of the Project for Civic Health Summit in 2023, which many of our mayors and councilmembers attended. At the Summit, we facilitated discussions on local efforts that build relationships and civic capacity, and one of the key recommendations of that group was to train local officials on how to disagree better and work with people across the political spectrum.
AWC’s Center for Quality Communities (CQC) has partnered with the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at UW and the William D. Ruckelshaus Center of UW and WSU to create a program that meets this need.
15 teams totaling nearly 50 elected officials from cities across Washington have been selected for the inaugural cohort of the Washington Collaborative Elected Leaders Institute (WA-CELI), an immersive training program designed to enhance local elected officials’ skills in collaborative leadership.
Elected officials from towns as small as Entiat and cities as large as Tacoma applied to participate in the inaugural cohort because they want to be part of the solution to our civic health crisis. Through the guidance of expert facilitators, these leaders will develop collaborative leadership skills, and to learn and practice a broad range of strategies to embrace differing viewpoints and build consensus. Teams will workshop real issues faced by their communities and develop a collaborative process to address these issues. In addition to receiving valuable training, these leaders will learn about challenges facing communities in other parts of the state and build meaningful connections with peers invested in improving the civic health of Washington state.
This inaugural cohort will share their learnings with our membership at our Annual Conference next year in Kennewick, Washington. At that time we will also welcome the second of what we hope will be many future cohorts in WA-CELI.
As nonpartisan elected officials at the level of government closest to the people, mayors and city councilmembers have a unique opportunity to lead by example on civil discourse and civic health. By bringing together all 281 cities and towns in Washington, AWC is proud to be a part of finding common ground for the common good of our state.
Deanna Dawson is the CEO of the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) and has more than 20 years of experience serving local governments, building coalitions, and bringing stakeholders together around a shared vision. Founded in 1933, AWC is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation that serves its members through advocacy, education, and services. While membership is voluntary, AWC consistently maintains 100 percent participation from Washington’s 281 cities and towns.