Civic Plaza https://www.siminhiroba.net/ Where neighbors talk policy en Tue, 10 Nov 2026 13:15:35 GMT The Empty Chair at City Hall Has Your Name on It https://www.siminhiroba.net/empty-chair-city-hall-five-local-boards-2026/ https://www.siminhiroba.net/empty-chair-city-hall-five-local-boards-2026/ The 2026 midterms are settled, but the seats that decide your library hours, your zoning code, and your neighborhood park are still open. A plain-English tour of five local boards, what they actually vote on, and how ordinary residents end up in the chair. Civic Plaza Local Government Tue, 10 Nov 2026 12:01:28 GMT Two Minutes at the Microphone: A Field Guide to Public Comment That Actually Lands https://www.siminhiroba.net/public-comment-microphone-field-guide-city-hall/ https://www.siminhiroba.net/public-comment-microphone-field-guide-city-hall/ A council dais is not a debate podium, and the clerk is not keeping score. Here is how local officials really use public testimony, what a strong two minutes sounds like, and why the person who stays until the end usually beats the person who shouts. Civic Plaza Opinion Tue, 10 Nov 2026 12:01:28 GMT