On that day, the mayor announced the official launch of the '3rd Citizen Participation Committee' during a regular meeting held at the city hall's conference room, marking the beginning of its activities.
The establishment of the 3rd committee aims to actively incorporate citizen voices into governance, drawing significant attention to the mayor's commitment to collaborative policymaking.
The 3rd Citizen Participation Committee consists of 70 members, including 65 appointed members and 5 ex-officio members.
The committee will operate for two years until August 2028, focusing on three areas: future vision, citizen happiness, and sustainability. Members will gather diverse opinions from citizens and propose policy agendas related to pressing municipal issues.
This launch is expected to further strengthen the mayor's initiative for 'administration in partnership with citizens' by incorporating various citizen perspectives and voices from daily life into governance.
During the regular meeting, the 2026 action plan and the roles and directions of the 3rd committee were shared, and a chairperson, vice-chairperson, and committee heads were elected.
Kim Gwi-ja was elected as the chairperson, with Park Jun-hee serving as the vice-chairperson.
The launch ceremony featured a pre-performance by the Ansan City Choir, followed by speeches, the presentation of appointment letters, a pledge for integrity, and the announcement of the committee's vision.
Notably, the members pledged to engage in their activities with integrity and fairness, chanting, 'Citizen empathy, policy completion! Together! Together! Together!' to express their commitment to translating citizen voices into actionable policy proposals.
The mayor urged the newly appointed members to serve as a bridge connecting citizens with the administration.
The Citizen Participation Committee plans to enhance its role as a citizen-driven policy platform that goes beyond mere opinion collection to identify pressing issues closely related to citizens' lives and propose policy alternatives.
Chairperson Kim Gwi-ja stated, 'Citizen participation is a process of finding answers together at the same level as citizens,' and pledged to diligently listen to a wide range of citizen opinions and convey them to the administration.
Local citizens have responded positively to the launch of the committee.
An Ansan resident, identified as Kim, remarked, 'It is meaningful to have a channel through which the inconveniences and local issues felt by citizens can be properly communicated to the administration,' adding, 'I hope to see the opinions from the committee translate into actual projects and policies.'
Another resident, Lee, emphasized the importance of a structure that allows citizens to not only participate in administration but also verify the outcomes, expressing hope that voices from various demographics, including youth, seniors, and small business owners, will be fairly represented.
Meanwhile, Mayor Im Min-keun added, 'I will actively support the 3rd committee to ensure that citizen voices lead to policies and tangible changes that citizens can feel.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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