PAUL SCHRAG: COMMUNITY BASED SERVICES >>>

Hey … pssst … remember government of the people, for the people and by the people? Some crazy people in Tacoma are trying that old game again. And it sort of works.

Now a year in the making, the so-called Community Based Services program is an experiment in community involvement, led by the City of Tacoma and plain old citizens. Local officials met with a group of community volunteers at Lincoln High School last night to review successes, recruit new soldiers and to talk about moving forward with a program that Tacoma should be proud to be among the first to try.

Officials in charge of the program say their goal is recruit members of the community and integrate city services delivery in a way that makes governing things more sustainable and effective … and probably save some tax dollars. So far, a lot of cleaning has been done. Edwina Magram, who attended the event and self-identified as a general troublemaker, says she and her fellow citizens, along with help from the City, have achieved goals such as cleaning up 70 litter-strewn yards during a weekend “Call to Haul.” Programs like this show the power of the people, and that local government still apparently needs citizens to be involved to get things done.

So how about it Tacoma?

LINK: Community Based Services Web site.