By D.J. Whetter, CEO of CiviCO
On April 10, CiviCO will host Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser for a Purpose Hour focused on the most pressing issues facing our state. I’ll be moderating the discussion—and I hope you’ll be in the room.
But this isn’t a typical political event. In fact, it’s not political at all.
We invited AG Weiser not because he’s running for governor (he is), but because he’s spent the last six years doing the work of cross-sector civic leadership—and doing it well. Tackling the opioid crisis. Championing youth mental health. Building partnerships where few others could. We asked him to speak strictly in his current role as AG, because the real story here isn’t electoral.
It’s civic.
Here’s the thing: We have a problem in Colorado—and in the country, frankly. When something breaks in society, too many people look to the public sector as if it’s “their problem.” Boy, why doesn’t city council, the mayor, the Governor, the council, the Congress do something about that.
Government is charged with creating protection, direction and order in a modern, democratic society. But government is not the only actor. It’s not the only system that shapes our lives. It’s not even the most effective vehicle for many of the solutions we need.
At CiviCO, we believe something radically simple: Almost every challenge we face is a civic challenge—and everyone has a role to play.
We call this civic ownership: the belief that citizens, companies, and community organizations must all own a piece of the work. Not just complain. Not just vote. Own it. Resource it. Work for it. Educate yourself about it from different voices.
It’s easy to say “someone should fix this.” It’s harder—and more important—to ask: What’ my part of the mess? (because that shapes what part of the progress I or we might partner on)
Civic ownership doesn’t just appear. It’s built. And like most things worth building, it’s a 3 step process.
Step One: Civic Input
This is the part where we pause. Before jumping to solutions, we ask deeper questions.
- What’s the actual problem we’re trying to solve?
- Whose voices have we not heard from?
- What data do we need—and what perspectives do we need to interpret it?
Civic input invites divergent thinking. Not agreement. Not brainstorming. Just honest complexity. Because if we can’t define a challenge together, we’ll never solve it together.
Step Two: Civic Engagement
Too often, “civic engagement” is code for shallow participation: a town hall, a survey, a checkbox, a vote or two every four years.
Real engagement is messier. It’s facilitated. It holds space for tension and contradiction. It puts competing values on the table and says: This is hard. Now let’s stay in it.
Let’s use healthcare as an example. What values get elevated in that conversation, no matter where you sit politically? Individuals want quality, cost-effective and accessible options. Those are all important values, good values. And, they compete with each other. High quality healthcare tends to be less accessible in rural areas or more expensive. You can imagine more scenarios like this. And yet, these are the tough conversations we rarely have. Instead we jump to brainstorming solutions. But, true civic engagement asks stakeholders to get into the messy middle of a challenge or opportunity.
This is where you start to see progress—not because we’ve solved the issue, but because people begin to understand what’s at stake. The stakes are always bigger than one sector or side.
Step Three: Civic Ownership
Finally, the moment we stop waiting for permission and start doing the work.
Civic ownership means we partner with the public sector, when appropriate—but we don’t wait for it to lead. We explore multiple strategies. We share resources and risks. We build coalitions across difference and across sectors. We value experimentation over perfection.
Progress doesn’t come from top-down fixes. It comes when we stop asking who’s in charge and start asking what’s possible—together.
So…
What’s This Got to Do with Phil Weiser?
AG Weiser has been in the arena. He’s seen what works and what doesn’t. He’s led initiatives that didn’t rely on easy answers or singular solutions. He’s built partnerships between state agencies, nonprofits, health systems, businesses, political partisans, and communities.
That’s why we’re inviting him to sit down for April Purpose Hour—not as a candidate, but as a civic leader who understands how complex change really happens.
We’ll talk about what it takes to build trust across difference. What it looks like to lead without relying on the loudest voice in the room. How public-private partnerships can actually get traction when egos and ideologies are set aside.
We’ll also talk about what’s next—for Colorado, for leadership, for people like you and me who care enough to step up.
If you’re done outsourcing civic responsibility to someone else…
If you’re ready to wrestle with the hard stuff instead of waiting for the perfect plan…
Then come. Join us for this conversation.
Because the truth is: This problem belongs to all of us. And it’s time more of us started asking, “what’s my part of the mess, and how can I be part of the progress?”
REGISTER HERE for Purpose Hour on April 10th from 3:30-6:30pm at CiviCO
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