In 2014, a fellow from Cobb County, Georgia became excited about the TDG. We exchanged quite a few emails. He wanted to set up a local TDG in his neighborhood but was not getting much of a response. I then realized that it might be hard to find six TDG builders in any neighborhood — in these early TDG days. So I devised the “Atlanta approach.” Cobb County belongs to metropolitan Atlanta.
This builder should look for a bigger geographical area than his neighborhood, like maybe the entire Cobb County — or maybe even metro Atlanta. If he found six builders, they could write their own constitution for this big area, gaining skills in TDG governance. This group would elect its own executive committee. As membership grew, they would start setting up smaller local TDGs, especially where membership has the numbers to form TDG neighborhoods. When enough of these TDGs became self sufficient, the “Atlanta approach” group would dissolve itself — and let the local TDGs manage themselves. Part of their next tasks might be helping adjacent neighborhoods build their own TDG.
In my first TDG novel, the TDG members of Northwest Riverbend take the Atlanta approach. They are just too widely dispersed to be considered as belonging to one TDG neighborhood in Northwest Riverbend. In the next two years, these members elect their executive committee.
When this TDG group merges with Northeast Riverbend, the merged area has 14 defined neighborhoods, which is reflected in the new constitution. Instead of the members electing an executive committee, the members now elect their own neighborhood representative. And these representatives serve on the executive committee for “North Riverbend.”
Eventually in the novels, all of Riverbend is merged into this one TDG. The 35 neighborhood representatives elect seven members of the second tier, who are, in effect, the executive committee.
I suspect for the Early TDG stage, the Atlanta approach will be needed in many areas. As the TDG becomes better known, it will be easier to find four individuals in one neighborhood to start their TDG. And these new TDGs will probably have experienced TDGs to help them out.
Published on Medium 2024
A New Democracy will be Built by Someone Like You
