Finding common ground, for the common good.
By AWC staff
While we see partisan divides at the federal and state level, city leaders are seeking ways to bridge the divides in their communities—divides in understanding and empathy that have driven wedges not just between parties, but between family members and friends.
To that end, at this year’s annual conference, AWC convened a panel—including Ruckelshaus Center Director Julia Carboni, Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, and UW Evans School Dean Jodi Sandfort, along with Sen. John Lovick (D-Mill Creek) and Rep. J.T. Wilcox (R-Yelm)—to help city leaders think about how they might collectively bridge the partisan divide and improve civic discourse.
“Washington has a tradition of bipartisan collaboration,” AWC CEO Deanna Dawson told the audience, introducing the panelists. “We’re invested in continuing that leadership—and to leading the nation in that effort.”
The panelists shared their experiences working together and noted that overcoming differences is essential to democracy, and that better policy is made when leaders listen to diverse perspectives. Listening to those perspectives becomes easier when we build trust by building relationships. “You can only control the example that you set,” Rep. Wilcox advised, noting that by being respectful, we find ways to bridge divides. “And it’s hard to demonize someone you’ve had dinner with.”
Over the course of the discussion, the panelists reiterated three essential themes: the importance of seeking commonality, being honest when that commonality is lacking, and fostering a willingness to compromise to find common ground. As Sen. Lovick put it, “When you win you have to teach, and when you lose you have to learn.”
The need for an evolution in our relationships, individual and institutional, and for a new understanding of how we guide disagreements into respectful and effective solutions has never been clearer, demonstrated by the standing ovation the packed room gave the panel at the event’s conclusion.
Lt. Gov. Heck encouraged local officials to embrace hope—and to see it as a commitment to improvement. “This topic is part of a movement—and these conversations are going on all over the country,” he said. “Treating people with respect, even when you disagree, and choosing not to be part of the outrage industrial complex.
That’s our only constructive path forward.”
“When you win you have to teach, and when you lose you have to learn.”
For more information: wacities.org/cqc-home
Promoting civic health
In an effort to break down political polarization and improve civic discourse, AWC's Center for Quality Communities has partnered with the William D. Ruckelshaus Center (a joint effort of Washington State University and the University of Washington) and the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. to create the Washington Collaborative Elected Leaders Institute (WA-CELI).
Nearly 50 elected officials from cities across the state have enrolled in the initial WA-CELI cohort, a series of intensive trainings to build collaborative leadership skills and strategies to govern across differences, tackle community challenges, and build bridges with cities and towns across the state.
"The issues of the day require serious and civil debates, and we are pleased that so many elected city officials want to build their capacity in this important practice," says Jodi Sandfort, Dean of UW’s Evans School.
Over the course of several months, WA-CELI will host sessions in locations around the state, with a final capstone wrapping up the training at the 2025 AWC Annual Conference where participants will share insights they gained.