Dick’s Drive-In owner Dick Spady this fall convinced the King County Council to run with his dream to create an elaborate network of community forums– a venue to give the people more say in how government is run. Now all he has to do is convince the people to participate.So far it hasn’t been easy. To get the network started, Spady needs at least 1,000 volunteers. To date, he’s got 40. Spady’s son, Jim, says it’s not apathy, it’s just the holidays, adding that it didn’t help that they started looking in December. “It takes a while to get the wheels moving,” he says. The Spadys expect to generate more interest once the forum’s first topic is announced later this week. (Officially it’s hush hush, but word is the topic will probably be “transportation,” which given the stomping Prop 1 got in November, is clearly something that gets the citizenry riled up.)Jim Spady says they’ll buy some radio spots to find volunteers if it comes to that, but for now they’re going to spend a few more weeks relying on word of mouth. (His dad is footing the bill for the citizen councilor effort, which the county estimates could cost more than $100,000 annually.) “We’ll do whatever we need to do to get our 1,000 so we can move forward,” says Jim. How ’bout free French fries? Half-price cheeseburgers?”I don’t think that we’re going to go that far,” he says. However, if they don’t have the needed volunteers by spring, the Spadys plan to print the sign-up sheet on the back of Dick’s signature white paper bags– a tactic that’s been successful in the past for the chain’s annual scholarship drive. “If we don’t have 1,000 by March, that will put us over the top,” Jim predicts.King County residents with opinions are encouraged to sign up here.