Seattle's young people eager to connect with politicians

The bad, and not entirely unexpected, news from recent public-opinion research is that there is a dangerous disconnect between the people and their politicians. The good news is that young Seattle is ready to bridge the divide.

A report we're issuing today shows that 20- and 30-somethings in Seattle are turned off by politics that they perceive as self-interested, out of touch and hopelessly unresponsive to the issues that matter to them.

Whether it is rising health-care costs, Seattle's transportation dilemma or affordable housing, our politicians just don't seem to be on the same wavelength as us.

In Seattle, controversy around the development of a monorail system typified the inability of current political systems to match the public will. When the public wanted a monorail, government couldn't deliver on what it promised; and when people didn't want it, the political leadership to put on the brakes was missing.

What's most frustrating about all this is that 20- and 30-somethings in Seattle are not cynical about government. We don't want government to fail; in fact, we want our politicians to succeed.

Simply, if elected officials would live up to the high, but sensible, ideals of our generation, we would cheer them at every turn.

We believe there is an opportunity here. Call it Mr. Smith Goes to Washington naiveté, but is it really that far-fetched to think we might be able to re-engage people in an alliance between the government and the community it serves? Young Seattle doesn't think so.

To effect this change, we have proposed a Community Innovation Fund — a public-private partnership between the community, businesses and government that would empower people to take action at a local level. Resources would be set aside for community-inspired and community-driven projects — from improved transit access to more affordable housing to new educational technology for kids in underserved areas — with the impetus coming from people who best understand the unmet needs of their neighborhoods.

This initiative would put a premium on some of the particular traits of our generation: accountability and pragmatic innovation.

Generations X and Y embrace tangible outcomes, sorely lacking in too much of the current government process. Therefore, 10 percent of grants given through the Community Innovation Fund would be allocated to public reporting of real results, good or bad. The message: Accountability matters.

High marks would be given to the most creative approaches to tackling systemic community problems. Seattle is home to some of the most cutting-edge thinkers in the world — innovators who have been able to take their ideas and turn them into profitable business ventures.

Tapping into that spirit of pragmatic innovation would bring much-needed fresh thinking into the realm of public policy.

Resources for this initiative should come from the private and public sectors alike; both have a stake in retaining the best and the brightest of young Seattle and integrating their ideas into the city's long-term future.

But adults in their 20s and 30s have a responsibility, too. We cannot think that detached indifference to the ongoing work of government is a fruitful way forward.

For too long, campaigns and politicians have written off young adults as apathetic nonvoters. All the evidence shows this to be a false characterization. We have to continually prove that point. We have to grasp the opportunity to have an impact.

We are confident that people in their 20s and 30s in Seattle are eager to shape the future of their communities. As a generation tired of sideshow politics, we are ready to accept our responsibility to solve today's problems. It is time to forge a new partnership for lasting change and create a new social compact; an alliance for local progress where government, community groups and the public work together to achieve shared goals.

Paul Andrew is an innovator for 18to35, a national policy research center, and can be reached at pandrew@18to35.org. Alison Carl White, alison@seattleworks.org, is the executive director of Seattle Works, a local community-service organization. The groups' report, "A New Generation of Political Idealism," is available at www.18to35.org