Session Description: Pester power is the ability by some to impose their demands for specific park and recreation services on an organization. Negotiating the struggles and pressure to satisfy the desires of those who can be loud, bold, and influential and who may not concern themselves with anything but what they want requires intelligent response, confidence, and resilience.
Learning Objectives:
1. Attendees will better understand the theories of Tragedy of the Commons and the Abstraction of Community and how special interests are easily positioned to dominate the public narrative and exploit common resources.
2. Attendees will analyze the inherent ethical and economic conflicts that result when decisions are made with an eye on short term satisfaction rather than long term consequences.
3. Attendees will discuss and analyze political pressures, influence, and “political theater” that can have profound and long lasting impacts on decision making.
