Narrative-first, evidence-driven

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This is a lightweight operating system for local community work. Not a manifesto. A loop you can repeat without burning out.

The core loop

Squeeze → bottleneck → one measurable ask → follow-up → scoreboard → repeat

• Squeeze: where people feel it monthly (housing, healthcare, childcare, education, transport time tax, energy bills)
• Bottleneck: the boring constraint that keeps the squeeze in place (permits, staffing, rules, contracts, enforcement, timelines)
• One ask: a specific action with a date and a metric
• Scoreboard: 3–5 numbers that keep you honest
• Repeat: consistency beats intensity

The playbook format (what every community effort should produce)

1) What’s happening (1–2 sentences)

Plain language. No jargon.

2) Why it’s happening (mechanism)

Name the constraint: money, rules, staffing, timelines, market power, enforcement.

3) What good looks like (principles)

• Dignity and due process (no scapegoats)
• Transparency
• Predictability
• Accountability (metrics + owners)
• “Markets are good at creating solutions, bad at policing themselves” (so rules matter)

4) What to do

• Personal: one relationship move (invite, ask, show up, listen)
• Community lever: one measurable ask (who/what/when)

5) How to talk about it

Bridge language: calm, factual, no contempt.

Roles (minimum viable)

You can run this solo, but 2–5 people is a superpower.

• Convener: schedules, keeps the rhythm
• Note keeper: logs asks, owners, dates, decisions
• Receipts runner: checks sources, builds the receipts backlog
• Relationship lead: keeps it human; invites; follows up

One person can hold multiple roles. Keep it light.

The monthly rhythm (repeatable)

Week 1: Pick the bottleneck

• What squeeze are we targeting this month?
• What’s the bottleneck we can actually move?
• What is the decision point (meeting / vote / contract / budget moment)?

Week 2: One-pager + one ask

• Draft the one-pager (problem → mechanism → options → recommendation → ask → success)
• Decide the one measurable ask
• Identify the decider + staff contact

Week 3: Show up

• Attend the meeting, submit comment, or send the ask
• Get: owner + next step + date

Week 4: Follow-up + scoreboard

• Follow up once, politely, in writing
• Update the scoreboard
• Write 3 bullets: what happened, what we learned, what’s next

Scoreboard (3–5 metrics)

Pick metrics that match the bottleneck.

Examples:

• Housing: median permit time; units approved; inspections backlog; vacancy rate trend
• Childcare: licensed slots; waitlist time; staff turnover; subsidy processing time
• Transport: bus reliability; average commute time; crash hotspots fixed
• Energy: weatherization completions; shutoff rate; bill burden

Rule: if you can’t measure it, it becomes vibes.

The One Ask (definition)

A good ask has:

• who (the decider)
• what (specific action)
• when (date)
• success (metric)

Bad ask: “Do better.” Good ask: “Publish monthly permitting timelines by project type starting April, and reduce average review time by 25% in 6 months.”

Anti-scapegoat guardrail (non-negotiable)

If a proposal depends on blaming a group of people, it’s not E4E.

Name the mechanism. Fix the bottleneck. Protect dignity.

“Boring but powerful” levers checklist

Most community wins come from:

• timelines
• staffing capacity
• published metrics
• contract terms + audits
• simpler rules and fewer chokepoints
• enforcement that is consistent and reviewable

After-action notes (keep it short)

After each action, log:

• What did we ask for?
• What did they say?
• What’s the next step + date?
• What metric will we track?
• What did we learn about the bottleneck?

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