During the six months that Bruce Harrell has been a Seattle City Council member he has grown frustrated with the limited feedback he hears from the community.

While he found that the council often heard from certain activists, he said he rarely gained a balanced perspective from the majority of the city.

"Most people (in Seattle) are either enjoying their lives or struggling, and they don't have the time or resources to be committed to process," Harrell said. "That doesn't mean they don't have an opinion though."

In response Harrell is developing an online Citizen Engagement Portal. He hopes to use technology to record the needs and opinions of a larger group of Seattle citizens. Once implemented, visitors to the city's Web site will be able to offer their feedback in an electronic polling format.

The new system could greatly change the way the Seattle City Council makes decisions. Harrell pointed out that on big issues, such as plans for the viaduct, it could be valuable to know what the majority of the city wants.

"I think it will allow the City Council to accurately understand the pulse of the city." Harrell said. "I think we sometimes get out of touch. We need to be better than this as the City Council."

Harrell has emphasized that listening is an important aspect of being a fair and wise leader, but estimates that he hears from less than 5 percent of Seattle's population on different issues.

Other members of the City Council have supported Harrell's efforts. Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin said he is excited about getting more Seattle residents involved in their city.

"We don't reach the broader population," Conlin said. "We want to be contacted by, not only the really concerned people, but by the entire population."

Approximately 83 percent of Seattle residents own a computer and use the internet, making it one of the most wired cities in the country. But Harrell is still concerned about those who do not have internet access.

"We're not trying to neglect those people, and we will continue to look into connecting with them," Harrell said. "They are already left out of the process."

The City also hopes to improve the customer service functions of their Web site, allowing citizens to receive legislative notices and information about their neighborhood. The site is expected to help Seattleites find answers to non-emergency issues, such as pedestrian safety or development projects, with a visual search engine and new tagging system.

Councilmember Harrell is expected to release a full evaluation of options to maximize citizen communication with the City Council in the coming weeks.

Rose Egge may be contacted at 932.0300 or rosee@robinsonnews.com