Vibrant Democracy Attitude and openness are keys to effective leadership. BY MARY O'BRIEN One of the most memorable books I ever read is Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci's Interview with History, published in 1976. Each chapter is an interview with a different political leader, each of which was lured by Fallaci into revealing how they viewed themselves as leaders. The result is stunning, because most (e.g., Ayotollah Khomeini, Henry Kissinger, the Shah of Iran, and Indira Ghandi) show themselves to be frighteningly arrogant, delusional and contemptuous of the populace they lead. Two exceptions emerge: Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, and West German Chancellor Willy Brandt. Both Meir and Brandt see themselves as merely temporary servants (albeit with positive contributions to offer) within a standing office of their respective democracies. Brandt once expressed admiration for a particular man of ancient Greece, who, when asked by his community to serve as mayor, said he would only do so if he could first leave the town for seven years. If, upon his return, the community was still functioning well without him, he would be willing to serve as its mayor. This points to the primary deciding factor for me when I cast my vote or campaign for a particular candidate: Will the candidate strengthen the means of community self-governance? At the national level, I look at the Bush administration and see systematic dismantling of democratic processes: government websites are being gutted of information, procedures for environmental review are being eliminated, consideration of alternatives is being prohibited, civil courts are being bypassed, public documents are being held secret. It wouldn't matter to me if this was in the service of a left-wing or right-wing ideology: it is a crippling of democratic process, and Mr. Bush must not be allowed another four years to destroy our nation's public, civil government. Bush wouldn't dream of leaving this country for seven years before returning to see if the country still wanted him as President. In my own community, I look at the mayoral race, and see two women running for office. My first memory of Nancy Nathanson is when, as a city councilor, she supported having no public hearings on Hyundai coming to West Eugene's wetlands. My second is when she said she had not known of Hyundai coming to town prior to the city announcing that Hyundai was a "done deal," and it later turned out she had been at a meeting with Hyundai previous to the "done deal" announcement. My third is when the City Council voted 4-4 on whether, in exchange for their $47 million tax exemption, Hyundai should reciprocate by joining into a five-point agreement with our community: reveal the toxics they would be using, fund a community monitoring process of their toxics use, utilize the most worker-protective technologies available, provide secure family wages, and return their tax break if they did not remain in town for six years. Nathanson voted against the proposed agreement, and Mayor Ruth Bascom broke the tie, voting like Nathanson. In nine subsequent years, Nathanson's voting record and City Council minutes are remarkably consistent with these memories. My first memory of Kitty Piercy was 22 years ago, when I was volunteering with a pro-choice advocacy group of which she was the leader. I was struck by how she facilitated the group's meetings, encouraged equal participation, and followed through on commitments. Prior to coming to Eugene, I had advocated primarily through protest marches and letters to elected officials. From Kitty, I learned much more about being an active citizen. Later, this mentor became Rep. Piercy, and I watched how she worked with fellow state legislators in the same highly collaborative manner. Whenever I would lobby Piercy on a piece of legislation, I knew I had to bring evidence that my position represented a public, not just private interest, good. She would never simply say, "Oh, sure, Mary, if you're for (or against) it, so am I." Instead, she would listen politely and conclude the meeting by saying she would first need to see what those who felt differently had to say. Sometimes I would receive a follow-up call from her office, asking for my response to arguments they had heard that were contrary to mine. Not surprisingly, during her last term in the Legislature, Rep. Piercy was minority leader of the House, working effectively with the governor, Senate, and majority House leadership. In short, there's a good reason for Piercy's mayoral campaign slogan, "Kitty Piercy: A Mayor for All Eugene." It's about respecting the processes of vibrant, public democracy. Mary O'Brien of Eugene has worked as a public interest scientist since 1981. She can be reached at mob@efn.org
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