By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
A period of political turmoil may be the time for citizens to brush up on their civics. A collection of civic and campus groups are offering residents that opportunity with a three-part series “Civics 101: Get Informed. Get Engaged. Get Results.”
The sessions will be held Saturday mornings, April 1, 8, and 15 from 9:30 a.m.to 12:30 p.m. at the Maumee Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 20189 N. Dixie Highway (Route 25) Bowling Green.
“I’ve been talking to a lot of people about politics,” said Meghan Wilson, one of the organizers. Many expressed frustration that they don’t know more about how government works, from local council to the halls of Congress.
As someone with a lifelong passion for politics, it was an issue she wanted to address. So she posted on social media asking if anyone else wanted to work on the project.
That was in February.
Since then Civics 101 has come together, as the organizers decided what topics to address and who to get to address them.
Michelle Chronister was one of those who responded. She was already thinking about something along the same lines. She liked that it was initiated by individual citizens, “just a bunch of people who came together and said, ‘let’s do it.’”
They did solicit sponsorship from a number of organizations – the League of Women Voters of Bowling Green; the BGSU Center for Community and Civic Engagement; the Women’s Club of Bowling Green; the American Association of University Women of BG; and the Common Good.
Those groups, Chronister said, lend the series credibility.
The series is a strictly non-partisan, and having the League of Women Voters on board helps project that image as well as helping to publicize the series, Wilson said.
“I care very much about democracy,” she said, “and I think that’s true of everyone. This is a good opportunity to step outside of partisanship.”
“We can all come together to discuss democracy,” Chronister said. “Everyone cares about that. It doesn’t matter what party you’re in.”
The idea, Russell Mills, a BGSU professor of political science, is to “give citizens a better idea of how to influence the government.”
The sessions will be:
- April 1 – The Foundation of Federal Government.
- April 8 – All Politics is Local.
- April 15 – Power to the People.
The April 1 session will cover the three branches of government with the first half devoted to the legislative branch. Staffers from the U.S. Senate offices of Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Sherrod Brown, and from the office of U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo) will be on hand to lead the discussion.
Chronister said the liaison for U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) was unable to attend because of a prior commitment.
They will discuss the day to day operations of their offices and the most effective ways for citizens to contact them and share their concerns, Chronister said.
Mills, Chronister and Wilson will also speak about their experience working in government.
The April 8 session focuses on local and county government. Among those participating will be Judge David Woessner, State Sen. Randy Gardner (R-Bowling Green) and BG city councilors Sandy Rowland and Bob McComber.
The series will conclude on April 15 with a wide ranging program covering money in politics, lobbying, gerrymandering, and the press, among other topics. (David Dupont, of BG Independent News, will be one of the presenters.)
Professor Marc Simon, of BGSU, will conclude the session with a discussion of political movements.
Wilson said the sessions will be videotaped with the intent of posting on YouTube.
The venue will be open for an hour after the sessions to allow people to congregate and continue the discussions sparked by the presentations.
