Too often, though, that is not the case. Government accountability has diminished along with civic participation. The problem is often a lack of political will either to respond effectively to polluters, or to try a more imaginative and less damaging alternative. Even officials who try to do the right thing often are stymied by a lack of constituents taking a stand to support them.
Officials usually see real people only when they show up to complain.
However, they see lobbyists for business interests, who are paid to curry favor for crucial permit and zoning decisions, all the time. Answers that seemingly should be easy are hard to come by because the twenty-year campaign to shrink government also has weakened its ability to serve. Ordinary citizens have a difficult time getting their ideas and arguments past the squadrons of attorneys and public relations specialists who often intimidate local officials and overshadow citizens. In 1995, the Institute started the Grassroots Support Center to help citizens end the mismatch by organizing effectively. The Center teaches people how to do the necessary work of gathering facts, forming strategy, and developing messages that will resonate in their communities and lead to changes.