Practically every city and town in America has them. There are clusters of them from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and from sea to shining sea. They are CAVE people –
Citizens Against Virtually Everything.
No matter how lean the budget is, it is always overly inflated. No matter the bond issue, it is grossly inadequate; either too big or not big enough. Progress is viewed as an intrusion and no matter how open the discussion, council decisions are pre-determined in backroom, secretive meetings.
Does this sound familiar? While CAVE people may not prevail on many issues, they are extremely vocal, highly resilient, and very persistent. However, elected leaders commit grave errors by ignoring them or brushing them off as oddballs or idiots.
The tragedy oftentimes for elected leaders is that they fail to fully understand the rules of engagement. By not knowing the rules of engagement and pushing full steam ahead with their agenda, councils can unwittingly hand over the reins of leadership to CAVE people.
If not careful CAVE people, rather than the elected leaders, will end up driving the coach, and council members will be in for a long, uncomfortable, and sometimes embarrassing ride.
How Do They Do It?
Quite simple. While CAVE people obviously do not have a vote on the council, they can hurl enough verbal assaults to influence easily the outcome of elections. They can raise enough suspicion to sway public opinion on important issues, and will intentionally bring on the unwanted and unwarranted glare of the media.
Let’s face it, CAVE people can be every council’s nightmare and constant irritation. But do they have to be? The answer quite simply is no. They can be neutralized and illegitimate influence minimized. It is just a matter of learning how to consistently apply the rules of engagement, and hearing them out.
First Rule – Pay Attention
If a citizen or group of citizens attends council, board, and committee meetings on a regular basis, they just may be interested citizens. On the other hand, however, if they consistently attend, find fault with, or make verbal attacks on nearly every action taken then Houston, we have a problem. CAVE people may not hit a home run the first few times at bat, but the law of average will eventually prevail.
Oftentimes sooner, rather than later, CAVE people will exploit a seemingly obscure item that will ignite the fire underneath the masses. If so, you are already behind the 8 Ball. Pay close attention to who attends your meetings and note the frequency.
Second Rule – The Devil You Know Is Better Than The One You Don’t
Always make a point to visit with or at least acknowledge members of the group before the official start of the meeting. If there are those you do not know, shake hands and introduce yourself. They will of course already know who you are, but nothing beats a personal introduction.
If you know some of the group members, acknowledge them by name and thank them for taking the time and having interest enough to attend the meeting. Then immediately ask a more personal, general question. If you know their spouse, ask them by name how they are doing. Ask about the kids. If there are common interests such as golf, briefly mention your last handicap.
If you are fellow church members, mention the sermon last Sunday. All of this can be quite disarming and can go a long way in making you warmer, friendlier, and most important, human. While it likely will not dissuade them from saying what they came to the meeting to say, it could go a long way in diminishing what would have been more edgy comments. It is always easier to fight with a foe than a friend.
Third Rule – Know Before You Go
Study the dynamics of the group. They can change from council meeting to council meeting, and so too can the leaders. Never underestimate their strength or resolve. CAVE people play to win, period. They want to win public sympathy and empathy and do not at all mind publicly tearing down individual council members or influencing majority council support for their position.
The group could be one tightly wound around a single issue, or a loosely knit group consisting of two or more coalitions. The latter of which may have formed to fight a single issue but for varied reasons. Regardless of the issue or issues, one fundamental principle that CAVE people know well is that there is strength in numbers and numbers can be intimidating – especially to elected officials. Sadly, they will take the numbers from wherever they can get them to combat the common enemy – you.
Fourth Rule – Never Assume Anything
Never assume you know who the leader is, because there could easily be more than one. He or she may or may not be the most vocal of the group, but certainly is the most influential. Find out who that person is and if possible, the mayor and city manager should schedule to meet informally with him or her. Promise nothing more than a listening ear and an open mind. Actively listen to their concerns. If action can be taken to address the concerns, place the item on the next available agenda and take formal action to resolve it. If the issue takes further study, inform them and have staff get to work on it. Always provide honest feedback as to progress being made. Always.
If their issue cannot be resolved for legitimate reasons, tell them. Never lead them to believe otherwise. If it cannot be resolved, still place the item on the agenda for discussion (particularly if it has become a hotbed issue) so the broader community will know that you have actively listened to the group’s concerns. This gives the council an opportunity to publicly state the reasons why there can be no resolution. This will go a long way in neutralizing rumors. The council may still have problems with the group including meeting outbursts.
However, CAVE people will lose their effectiveness over time because by taking action, the council stands an excellent chance of winning back any lost public sentiment. Citizens respect leaders who initiate positive action. Even if the action taken cannot resolve the issue, the public for the most part respects leaders who go the extra mile by trying. They will quickly turn a deaf ear to CAVE people who continue to complain without just cause. Citizens can, at times, be fickle and unforgiving; but can also prove to be your greatest ally. They will root for the underdog but once the issues of the underdog have been addressed, public empathy and sympathy can quickly turn to resentment, and CAVE people in this instance can come off looking like selfish whiners. More important, in the court of public opinion, the council wins.
Fifth Rule – Be Certain Of The Real Issue And Practice Inclusion
CAVE people are not at all shy about voicing their disgust, mistrust, and anger at the council regarding a particular issue. However, that particular issue may not at all be the real reason for their anger. It could be merely a symptom. Oftentimes, there are longstanding, unaddressed issues simmering just beneath the surface that the current issue at hand causes to erupt. Those issues may or may not be connected. In fact, they often are mutually exclusive. Unfortunately, CAVE people have very long memories. If their concerns have not been satisfactorily addressed in the past or if promises made were never kept, then any issue that arises which is in any way perceived as threatening will conjure up vivid reminders of past disappointments.
The anger and disappointment over unaddressed past issues are automatically transferred to the issue at hand. The fatal mistake many councils so often make is they will spend energies battling with CAVE people over the issue at hand, when in fact they are unknowingly shadowboxing with ghost issues from the past – ghost issues kept alive in the hearts and minds of CAVE people that were never resolved.
These issues are resurrected each time it appears the council is discussing and deciding an issue that would, in their minds, cause them to once again be on the short end of the stick. Your council’s credibility then becomes irrationally tied to the credibility of past councils. Unless council members understand this, they will continue to focus on issue X when the real fight is about issue Y.
The question then becomes, how do you fix a perceived problem that you had no hand in causing? The answer is, you can't. However, you should publicly acknowledge that mistakes could have been made in the past.
Never criticize the decisions of past councils. You weren't there. If you were a member of the council at the time, explain from a historical perspective why the decision was made. Never single out any past council member nor speculate on why they voted the way they did. Show genuine empathy for their position. Reaffirm your commitment to always act honestly and with integrity. Explain that now that you know their real concerns, you will not make the same mistakes. Moreover, you are willing to work with them. No one could ask for more.
Though difficult, always remain calm and take a reasoned, rational approach. Emotions will run high on both sides. As the elected leader, however, you must always set the tone by never allowing personal feelings or emotions to get in the way. As long as there are city councils, there will always be CAVE people. Rather than ignoring them and hoping they go away, whenever possible, include them in the decision-making process. Ask them to lead or participate in a citizen’s task force or appoint them to a board or committee. Most have never been asked and would love the opportunity. You may be pleasantly surprised. Over time, they could become welcomed allies.
For those CAVE people seeking real solutions, although not guaranteed, by making them part of the solution, they will likely take ownership rather than take exception and will put forth more effort in ensuring acceptable outcomes. Those who are not so inclined will not. They take real pride in being CAVE people and have absolutely no interest in the process of evolution.
