Method
The Civic Method
PublicRecordRGV begins with a simple rule:
The record is the subject, not the resident.
Our work starts with documents, not conclusions. We identify the question, establish what the available record actually shows, separate documented facts from allegations and inference, identify what remains unresolved, and show what information would resolve the question.
The purpose is not to tell residents what to believe.
It is to make the evidence easier to see.
The five steps
- 01Question
- 02What the record shows
- 03What doesn’t reconcile
- 04What would resolve it
- 05Status
The seven-part framework
- Altitude
- What level does the issue actually belong at?
- Frame
- What kind of civic question is this?
- Category
- What governing process applies?
- Evidence
- What is documented, alleged, inferred, disputed, or unknown?
- Function
- What office, process, control, or authority should have acted?
- Resolution
- What document or answer would close the question?
- Status
- Where does the matter stand now?
Principles
- Never climb higher than the evidence allows.
- Name function before motive.
- One question at a time.
- A discrepancy is not a conclusion.
- Missing information should remain visibly missing.
- Make resolution easier than argument.
- Let the documents carry the weight.
- Make corrections visible.
- Stop when the evidence stops.
Records first. Questions visible. Conclusions earned.