Building a Civic Copilot for Sudbury, MA
A simple tool to help residents understand their town and a model for how governments can make civic engagement easier
I built the Sudbury Civic Copilot because I kept running into the same problem.
People want to be involved in their town, but the barrier to entry is higher than it should be.
Committee agendas, long PDFs, and complicated processes make it hard for anyone who is not already plugged in.
The information exists. It is public. But it is not always accessible or clear. Most people do not have the time to track down every document or figure out which committee handles which issue.
The Copilot is my attempt to fix that. It gives residents a simple way to ask a question and get a clear, direct answer about what is happening in Sudbury, MA. It can explain a warrant article in plain language. It can point someone to the right committee. It can summarize a meeting. It can help people understand how to participate before decisions are made.
It is basically a town hall that lives on your phone.
This is what I wish every community had. Not another website buried in menus. Not another PDF. Something that lowers the barrier between residents and the institutions that serve them.
I think local, state, and federal governments should be building tools like this too. Public information should not be hard to find or hard to understand. Government works best when people can see what is going on and feel invited into the process. If we want stronger communities, this is where it starts.
What the Civic Copilot does for Sudbury
The Copilot pulls together the public information Sudbury, MA already publishes and makes it easier to use.
You can ask it a straight question and get a straight answer.
What is on the Select Board agenda.
What is happening with Route 20.
Why a particular permit is being discussed.
When a committee meets and how to attend.
It turns the town’s official information into something you can actually talk with.
It cannot replace the human side of civic life. It is not a shortcut around doing the work. But it lowers the barrier to entry. It helps residents feel like they can keep up. It gives people the confidence to participate.
That alone can change the tone of how a community engages with itself.
Why this matters
Communities work best when people show up. The challenge is that showing up takes time, knowledge, and a sense that your voice matters.
Most people care. They simply do not know where to begin.
If governments want real engagement, they need to meet people where they are. They need to make information clear. They need to make participation feel possible.
Tools like the Civic Copilot help make that happen. They take something complicated and make it understandable. They give people a way in.
This is not about technology for its own sake. It is about rebuilding the connection between residents and the institutions that serve them. It is about trust, transparency, and giving people a fair chance to participate in decisions that affect their daily lives.
A path forward for towns, states, and federal agencies
Sudbury, MA is not unique. Every community has residents who want to understand what is going on. Every state struggles with outreach that feels too technical. Federal agencies publish huge amounts of information that regular people cannot reasonably digest.
There is no reason each level of government cannot build something similar.
A simple conversational tool.
A clear way to explain a policy or a public hearing.
A direct path to the right resources.
An invitation to participate before decisions are made.
The technology exists. The barriers are cultural, not technical.
If governments want people to be engaged, they should give them tools that make engagement possible.
An invitation to residents
If you live in Sudbury, MA, try the Civic Copilot. Ask it a question you have always wondered about. Look up an upcoming hearing. Learn how to get involved. Use it to understand the town you live in.
And if you work in government at any level, consider building something similar for your own community. People want to participate. They just need a clear path that respects their time and their intelligence.
This is one small step toward that. It is not perfect, but it is a start. And sometimes a start is enough to help a town become more connected, more informed, and more engaged.
Thanks for reading. If you want to learn more or follow this project as it evolves, you can find the Civic Copilot here:
https://chatgpt.com/g/g-69189868e95c8191840a81b3667b68fb-sudbury-ma-civic-copilot