Candidates do a lot of talking during an election campaign.
That’s OK — many public servants are gifted speakers. But sometimes an election cycle gets so noisy, drowning out the voices of the people they will be serving.
That’s why we Ashland Source hosting two Talk the Vote events — for you, the voter. The resident. The everyday citizen living in Ashland or the Ashland City School District.
This year it’s your turn. We want to hear from you.
Talk the Vote will happen on back-to-back nights in Ashland’s Uniontown Brewing Company at 105 W. Main Street. We rented out a side of the pub from 6 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 13 and 14.
On the 13th, we’ll talk about the issues Ashland City Council candidates should be talking about.
On the 14th, we’ll talk about the issues that candidates running for a seat on the Ashland City Schools Board of Directors should know about.
We invite you to attend. Both events are free and will include complimentary appetizers from Uniontown.
Here’s what you can expect:
Informal discussion
The discussion will be focused specifically on Ashland. We’re not here to talk about President Joe Biden or Gov. Mike DeWine or the Ohio Department of Public Education.
Instead, we’ll ask the audience a similar question: What should the candidates for Ashland City Council (and Ashland City Schools board) be talking about when striving to earn your vote?
What’s important to you?
What should council do to address a specific issue?
How do you think city council should spend American Rescue Plan Act dollars?
Your voices
Candidates are invited. They cannot speak.
Talk the Vote is for you. This is your turn. Bring your ideas, your questions, your concerns.
We will respect your time. This means we will have a laser-focused discussion about Ashland from 6 to 7 p.m. When that hour is up, you’re free to go or to stay for a little while longer to speak with whomever you like — candidates included.
Note taking
Talking is just one part of the event. The other part is, well, journalistic.
We’re taking notes. Nothing you say is “on the record,” which means we’re not writing down your names to appear in a surprise article later. We’re simply jotting down your ideas, your questions, your concerns.
We’ll then take those notes and produce what we call the Citizen’s Agenda, a document we will present to those newly elected to office that was built entirely upon what Ashland residents said they wanted to see happen in their city.
We will present the Citizen’s Agenda to your newly-elected council and your newly-elected school board. It will be a document we can all access, and in some cases, use to hold our public officials accountable. A blueprint, so to speak.
The events are free, but we ask that you register. You can do that here.
See you there.
