Heather Drake
We seek volunteers to attend and
observe, on a regular basis, city and county government meetings. Serving as a
Shadow Government representative is a great way to become more familiar with
your local government. Observing can also be an important first step in
preparing yourself to serve as a member of one of these bodies.
Each observer will be asked to keep
tabs on his or her chosen group and report on any issue of interest to Greens
that comes up at the meetings. These reports may take the form of email messages
to our discussion list or brief presentations at regular Green Party membership
meetings. Observers will become our own "experts" on their groups.
If we want to help shape policy, we
need to be aware of what's happening in local government meetings. Attending all
these meetings would be impossible for one person. If we pool our efforts,
however, we can stay informed and start making our voices heard.
We already send observers to many city and county meetings. Isabel Piedmont is shadowing the Bloomington
Arts Commission as well as sharing responsibility with Heather Drake for the Bloomington City Council. Heather also keeps us informed about business before the Utilities Service Board. Eric White is attending meetings of the Bloomington Economic Development Commission and the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Commission. Steve Gardner has taken responsibility for the Bloomington Environmental Commission. Craig Harvey has been attending both Bloomington and Monroe County Zoning Appeals Boards.
While this core of volunteers keeps us abreast of much that’s happening in local politics, there are many other key meetings that deserve shadows. The Monroe County Commissioners, in particular, make many important decisions at their 9:00 am Friday meetings. The Bloomington and Monroe County Plan Commissions each deserve a dedicated shadow as well.
Information about the available meeting slots and their meeting times can be found on the MCGP web site (www.monroegreens.org/Shadow ).
If you would like to volunteer for one
of the open positions, please contact Heather Drake
(hdrake@indiana.edu or 323-1366).