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When Peter Johnson became the administrator of Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) in Portland, Oregon, he realized that BPA had to listen to its harshest critics--the people affected by the agency's decisions. When Johnson arrived in 1981, BPA was reviled for its approach to decision making--the agency first made decisions and then explained them. Despite the warnings of attorneys, and his own apprehensions, Johnson opened up BPA's decision making to the public. The first attempts to involve BPA's critics were filled with confrontation, but success soon followed. Early experiences proved to Johnson that involving the public in BPA's decision making was a practical alternative to litigation. Former adversaries became BPA's partners in making better decisions, and the agency gained authority and legitimacy.