Kelly Coates

Office Coordinator, Healthy Democracy

Annabelle’s Reflection on her Nevins Fellowship with Healthy Democracy

Blog, News /

Over the summer, Healthy Democracy was grateful to welcome Annabelle LaRosa as our 2020 Nevins Fellow. The Nevins Fellowship, through the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State, provides students with the opportunity to complete internships at organizations that bring people together to solve common problems. From June through August, Annabelle lent her perspective and […]

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First Virtual Oregon Citizen Assembly Shares COVID-19 Recovery Recommendations August 27

Blog, News, Press Releases /

For Immediate Release August 12, 2020 Media Contact: Robin Teater, Executive Director Ph: 503-841-6865; Email: robin@healthydemocracy.org   WHAT: Oregon Citizen Assembly on COVID-19 Recovery Thirty-six diverse citizens from across Oregon will share results of seven weeks of discussion and deliberations on key questions relevant to the State’s COVID-19 economic recovery. WHEN:  Thursday, Aug. 27, 6-6:30

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On the Other Side of the Crisis . . . Thoughts from John Frohnmayer on Life After the Corona Virus

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Healthy Democracy’s good friend and former Board member, John Frohnmayer, shares his thoughts on what we are learning from the Corona Virus, and the opportunities that live on the other side of the crisis. Faced with the Civil War and the potential dissolution of the Union, Abraham Lincoln said: “The dogmas of the quiet past

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Citizens’ Initiative Review Needs Legislative Funding

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The Oregon legislature just started their short session on February 1. Senator Arnie Roblan, who sponsored the bill that put the Citizens’ Initiative Review in statute, is proposing that the legislature commit funds to ensure this uniquely Oregon innovation in democracy can be sustained. His OpEd appears below: Oregon was one of the first states

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2019 Milwaukie Citizens Jury

Events /

For the Milwaukie Citizens Jury, citizen panelists will consider this question: “Should Milwaukie City Council members be paid more than their current volunteer stipend? If so, how much should Council members be compensated?” Citizens Juries are professionally facilitated and follow a detailed format to ensure fairness, objectivity, and productivity.  Citizen panelists will meet November 9

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Politicians & Public Participation — Tackling a Quintessential Design Problem

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For a few weeks in September, we had the pleasure of hosting a visiting undergraduate student, Jillian Gilburne, who is a senior at Northwestern University studying political science, communication studies, and human-centered design. In an effort to better understand what motivates local officials to take on the challenge of achieving equitable, representative public engagement, Jillian

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Civic Saturday reflections . . . It’s magic y’all

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On Saturday, September 14, at the C Bar C Ranch in Powell Butte, Oregon, Citizen University, Healthy Democracy, Oregon Humanities, and the Deliberative Democracy Consortium partnered to host Civic Saturday, a morning filled with civic reflection, connections, and inspiration. Wendy Willis, a Civic Seminarian through the Citizen University and the Executive Director of the Deliberative Democracy

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Welcome to Farres Alkhaiyer . . . Dreams away from screams

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Monday, August 12 marked Farres Alkhaiyer’s first day with Healthy Democracy. Farres joins Healthy Democracy as a fellow in the 2019-2020 Community Solutions Program, a prestigious fellowship program run by the DC-based nonprofit IREX. This program brings together 80 of the brightest community leaders from around the world for four months of intensive leadership development in

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