COLUMN: Start going to public meetings
Why does it seem like older adults are the only people who go to public meetings?
Aside from the occasional student in attendance, probably for extra credit in class, I never see any young people, especially college students, at city council, township or school board meetings.
It’s your loss.
You can learn a few things to help your adult lives. It’s also a loss for the meetings, since it shows a lack of interest in our democratic structure.
Seriously, what are you doing on a Monday night that’s more relevant than watching the Mount Pleasant City Commission speak about the city you live in? Watching "How I Met Your Mother?" TiVo it and watch it tomorrow.
If you answered, “working” or “in class" – you’re excused.
You might think the meetings are boring, hard to understand, or simply don't believe any of the topics affect you.
However, these meetings can be greatly beneficial. For me, learning and understanding important agenda items was a huge benefit for my reporting career.
I didn’t go to my first meeting until I was 21 years old. One of my first story assignments at my internship was at a Swartz Creek City Council meeting, and I had almost no idea what they were talking about. Luckily, their city manager set up a meeting with me to explain how the meetings work.
Fast-forward to today, and I have several city, township and school board meetings under my belt.
These meetings offer a taste for how government works. They can help you know what to expect if you need to urge the board to not relocate a junkyard to your back yard, or for understanding why you received a fine for your garbage can. They can even help if you’re just curious as to why your school fired the football coach.
Open meetings also offer a public comment section, where each member in the audience receives a limited amount of time to voice their opinions to the board – an excellent way to use your freedom of speech.
Pick a night where you can go to one of these meetings, grab an agenda and circle a couple of topics that spark your interest. Listen to the meeting with an open mind and talk to a board member after the meeting and ask them anything you please.
Not only does your attendance promote citizenship, but you could learn a few things along the way.
