Residents are experts on their neighborhoods, but their voices often go unheard in local decision making. Professor Tia Gaynor discusses initiatives that bridge the gap between local governments and citizens – and explains how some have fallen short. For More on This Topic: Read her article for the PA Times on the Los Angeles Fire Department Check out her brief, The Unmet Challenge of Fighting Racially Discriminatory Practices in Local U.S. Law Enforcement Agencies Further Reading: Episode 16: Local Agents of Democracy Varieties of Civic Engagement in Contemporary America, Paul Lichterman, University of Southern California How Emergency Managers and Community Organizations Can Cooperate to Handle Disasters, Scott E. Robinson, University of Oklahoma