Creating Space for Every Voice: Pete Iengo's Mission to Transform How Cities Engage with Community Members
- Catherine Huckaby
- Jul 30
- 8 min read
Pete believes that "trust is something you can feel being built or happening." This philosophy has guided his thirteen-year journey in community engagement with the City of Fort Collins in Colorado.
In today's complex civic landscape, the gap between local government operations and the communities they serve can feel unbridgeable. Community members have a variety of interests that are sometimes at odds with one another. Frustrating problems with no clear solutions are dividing people more than ever.
Even when local government staff engage their community in passionate, thoughtful problem-solving where they connect and learn from each other, the community's role in the decision-making process can be limited or non-existent.
Enter Pete Iengo, Lead Engagement Specialist for the City of Fort Collins in Colorado, who has spent the last thirteen years building relationships and crafting his approach to connecting community members with their government. More than just a municipal employee, he is a passionate community member focused on strong, inclusive and authentic deliberation.
He views his role as an important bridge between residents and the systems that impact their daily lives. It is straightforward yet complex work with profound implications for how cities function, how resources get allocated, and how communities thrive.
Engagement professionals like Pete are evolving the relationship between cities and citizens, one conversation, one project, and one policy at a time. His story offers valuable insights not just for those considering careers in public service, but for anyone who believes that local government works best when it collaborates with the communities it serves.
From Cultural Anthropology to Community Engagement: Pete Iengo's Public Service Journey
When he introduces himself and explains his role, Pete puts it simply yet powerfully:
"I work to bring the community voice into the city's decision-making process."
This straightforward description belies the complex and nuanced work that he undertakes daily, serving as what he calls "this kind of bridge between community voice and city decision making."
This bridge building does not happen by accident. His academic background in cultural anthropology provided him with a foundation of curiosity about people and systems. "I've always been interested in people and people systems and like to think about the way things work," he explains, noting how his education unexpectedly aligned with his career path.
"It's so interesting to look back at what I studied and see how closely applicable it is to where I landed."
That landing was unplanned. Like many public servants, he did not set out with a clear roadmap to a career in community engagement. His early professional experiences in hospitality management gradually evolved into something more meaningful. As he describes it,
"I’ve always enjoyed serving people and facilitating great experiences for them. Once I started to serve communities, not corporations, I was hooked. I’ve found so much more meaning in the work. The passion for serving the community I love fuels
me every day."
Building Trust: The Heart of Effective Community Engagement
Throughout our conversation, Pete repeatedly returns to one core element that makes engagement effective: trust.
"Trust is something you can feel being built or happening. When you're doing things like meeting people where they're at, or working to understand who they are, and building relationships with people without strings attached... that's how trust can get built."
This focus on relationship-building before action represents a fundamental principle in Pete's approach to community engagement. Too often, government entities approach communities only when they need something—feedback on a project, buy-in for a policy change, or their participation in a program. His philosophy flips this dynamic, emphasizing the importance of building authentic connections first.
This approach has made him "on a mission in my life and in my work to bring engagement into projects so people can experience the value of it." The goal extends beyond any single project:
"Hopefully that builds some capacity in the organization and the community, so that the next time people understand the benefits of engagement, and it can further integrate into city processes, especially decision-making processes."
Creating Systems That Serve Everyone: The Income-Qualified Utilities Rate
When asked about his proudest accomplishment, Pete does not hesitate to mention his work establishing an income-qualified rate for utility customers in Fort Collins. For three years, he navigated complex policy challenges to get a 23% discount for income-qualified customers introduced into city code.
"We've got thousands of people on that reduced rate now and helping them be able to afford a place to live. A stable and safe home is critical to a family's ability to grow and thrive, and a reduced rate can be a game changer for so many families struggling to get by."
This program represents the tangible impact that thoughtful engagement and policy development can have on community members' lives. It demonstrates how bureaucratic systems, often perceived as rigid and impersonal, can be transformed to better serve everyone, especially those facing economic challenges.
His commitment to housing stability extends beyond his government role. He also serves on the board of Neighbor to Neighbor; a Northern Colorado organization focused on housing stability.
"Neighbor to Neighbor is all about making sure people have the opportunity to thrive. The number one-way people have an opportunity to thrive is if they have a stable home."
Rethinking Community Engagement: A City-Wide Assessment
Currently, Pete is undertaking what might be his most ambitious project yet—a comprehensive assessment of how the City of Fort Collins structures its engagement resources.
Temporarily assigned to the city manager's office, he and a colleague are examining engagement practices across all departments to make strategic recommendations for improvement. He explains,
"We're taking a really close look at how the city structures its engagement resources. How all the pieces fit together across a variety of decentralized and centralized structures. We have people doing amazing work in our organization and community. We want to understand how we can make sure both staff and community members have what they need to be successful through our engagement opportunities."
This system-level thinking represents a significant shift from his previous focus on project-specific engagement.
"I would work on something like a capital improvement project by working with the project manager and communication folks to understand the project. Then we'd work together to strategize and create an engagement plan and implement it, analyze any kind of information that came in, and circle back with the community."
Now, Pete is "zooming all the way out," to consider the entire engagement ecosystem. This perspective shift has been illuminating. Despite years of cross-departmental collaboration, he notes,
"I thought I kind of knew a lot, but I'm seeing things a little differently now."
His temporary assignment has provided fresh insights into "all the different kinds of engagement that's happening. That's been really fun."
Looking ahead, he sees tremendous potential for positive change. He says,
"Within the next three to five years, I can see us evolving our presence with staff and community members to create a tremendous amount of alignment across the city. It's exciting to be at the forefront of it all."
The Messy Reality of Public Engagement (And Why That's Actually Good)
One of the most refreshing aspects of Pete's perspective is his comfort with the inherently messy nature of community engagement. While some might shy away from conflict or emotional reactions, he sees these moments as opportunities.
When discussing how new professionals can feel stressed when facing unhappy community members, he acknowledges the challenge but emphasizes the value:
"As I have grown my craft as an engagement professional, I've been able to see them as tremendous opportunities."
This perspective—seeing difficulty as opportunity—does not come naturally to everyone. "Usually that takes a little bit of experience to understand that there's value there," Pete observes. It is a mindset that develops over time and with practice.
Pete balances two seemingly contradictory skills in his approach: empathetic listening and objective facilitation.
"With the relationship piece, it's all about listening and being empathetic, but with the facilitation side, it's all about detaching yourself. To be the process, so you can be as objective as possible."
Mastering this balance is what he calls "the lifelong craft" of community engagement, creating spaces for authentic voices to emerge while maintaining enough professional distance to integrate those voices effectively into decision-making processes.
5 Essential Skills for Aspiring Community Engagement Professionals
For those considering a career in community engagement or public service, Pete offers valuable insights drawn from his experience:
Develop strong listening skills
At the heart of community engagement is the ability to truly hear what others are saying, and to relay what you hear into the decision-making process. He emphasizes listening skills as his first recommendation, recognizing that genuine understanding begins with attentive listening.
Master facilitation techniques
"One of the most important disciplines is the field of facilitation," Pete advises. Facilitation skills enable engagement professionals to create productive spaces for diverse voices and manage complex group dynamics, through great preparation and also on the fly.
Learn project management principles
The practical side of engagement work requires organizational prowess. He notes that "a real understanding of project management principles is really critical" to successfully implementing engagement initiatives.
Cultivate curiosity and openness
Pete emphasizes the importance of "being open and curious" and having "excitement around human-centered designing." This mindset allows engagement professionals to approach communities with genuine interest rather than predetermined outcomes.
Balance empathy with objectivity
Finding this balance—connecting authentically while maintaining professional boundaries—is essential for effective engagement.
Why Local Government? Making a Difference Where You Live
For those considering careers in local government, Pete offers a compelling perspective based on his personal experience. "I love this community," he shares, highlighting how his work has become a way "to contribute to the health and the amazingness of this community."
Pete advocates for living and working in the same community, when possible, despite challenges like housing affordability. He says,
"It's not always easy, but I recommend living and working in the same community."
This connection creates a powerful feedback loop where professionals directly experience the impacts of their work.
Whether through government employment, board service, volunteering, or simply participating in public processes, Pete encourages community involvement in whatever form fits a person's interests, availability and season of life.
Embracing Continuous Growth in Public Service
Pete shares an important concept that has served him throughout his career.
"You need to have a growth mindset... no matter what you're doing, I think you need to regularly spend some time reflecting, thinking about what you can learn that can help you improve, and move forward from there."
This commitment to learning and adaptation serves as both personal philosophy and professional approach. As he puts it,
"We're never done. If we are regularly reflecting on what we learned from situations... I think we can be well-served professionally, in our families, and in our personal pursuits."
For Pete, the journey of community engagement is not about reaching a destination but about continuously improving how government and communities interact. It is about building better bridges, one relationship at a time.
Though the world around us is often characterized by division and disconnection, professionals like Pete Iengo offer a different vision—one where government functions not as a distant authority but as a collaborative partner with the communities it serves. Through thoughtful engagement, authentic relationships, and systems designed with human needs at their center, this vision becomes reality, one community conversation at a time.
Resources & Organizations Mentioned
The City of Fort Collins, Colorado a vibrant city known for Colorado State University, extensive recreational opportunities, and a commitment to community engagement and sustainability. The city provides services like utilities, planning, and natural area conservation to enhance residents’ quality of life.
International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) is a global organization dedicated to advancing public participation in decision-making processes through training, resources, and a community of engagement practitioners. Its Spectrum of Public Participation is widely used to define community roles in governance.
Neighbor to Neighbor is a Fort Collins nonprofit providing housing assistance, including rental support, homeownership programs, and counseling, to promote stability for low- and moderate-income residents. It has served the community for over 50 years, focusing on equitable housing solutions.
