Citizen Ombudsman

By Robert "Bob" Larsen

The position of Citizen Ombudsman will allow for increased communication between residents and the City Council and Staff.

I am not the first resident to suggest the idea of a "citizen ombudsman" to be utilized by the City of Orinda in representing its constituents. It would be helpful if there was a designated liaison that residents could go to with the authority to look into matters beyond what other staff have time for. I conceptualize this position as a quarter to half time position. The City could partner with the local universities in sponsoring an internship which would make this a low cost endeavor. The School of Public Policy at U.C. Berkeley, the School of Business at St. Mary's College and an appropriate department at J.F.K. University would be natural potential partners. These schools of higher education have as part of their mission maintaining ties to local communities. Internship programs are promoted at these colleges as a means of giving students real life experience.

Communication between City Hall and the residents of Orinda is a crucial element to effective representative government. The proposed citizen ombudsman program has the potential for helping Orindans with their concerns and complaints. We have local talent that is available to help us in developing such a program. This would be a supplement to the existing open forum and would not undermine those important efforts.