Left In Lowell

The Higher Ed transition group is holding citizen forums (and yes, I am posting a Patrick/Murray press release straight up, because I think it’s worthy). If you ever wanted to give your 2 cents to how your tax dollar is spent, now is the time to get involved!

PATRICK/MURRAY TRANSITION TEAM TO HOST FIRST FORUMS WITH LOCAL CITIZENS IN BOSTON AND WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
Issues Working Groups Will Solicit Ideas from Residents Across the State in Series of Community Meetings

BOSTON – Tuesday, November 28, 2006 – Acting on the pledge to lead an inclusive and active grassroots government, the Patrick/Murray Transition Team will host the first in a series of Community Meetings this Friday, December 1st in Boston and Amherst to address issues of concern to local residents and receive input on the best priorities for the incoming administration.

Governor-elect Deval Patrick will address the Higher Education Community Meeting in Amherst before the group hears from local residents.

The meetings, part of a series of statewide community meetings, will be convened by the co-chairs of the Higher Education and Workforce Development Transition Working groups and include various members from different areas of expertise. The meetings are open to all members of the public and the media.

Chairs of the Higher Education group are Jackie Jenkins Scott, president of Wheelock College in Boston, and Margaret McKenna, president of Lesley University in Cambridge. Workforce Development Chairs are Andrew Sum, director of the Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies, and Paul Harrington, associate director of the Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies.

The 15 Transition Committee issues working groups will help shape the new administration’s policy agenda as it prepares to take office on Jan. 4, 2007. The findings solicited in the Community Meetings from each working group will be delivered to the Governor- and Lt. Governor-elect by December 15th. Additional community meetings will be scheduled on an ongoing basis.

For residents unable to attend the public meetings, each group will be reviewing ideas submitted via the Patrick/Murray Transition website, www.patrickmurraytransition.org.

“This series of Community Meetings is just the beginning of our effort to bring people back into civic life, to re-engage their interest and to get some fresh, new ideas about how we tackle challenges and take advantage of opportunities,” said Governor-elect Deval Patrick.

Higher Education Community Meeting
When: Friday, December 1, 2006, 10:30 am
Where: UMass-Amherst Campus Center
What: Governor-elect Deval Patrick addresses members of the Higher Education Working Group and the public before community meeting

Workforce Development Community Meeting
When: Friday, December 1, 2006, 9:30 am
Where: Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, 41 Berkeley St., Boston
What: Members of the Workforce Development Working Group hear from the public on the issue of workforce development

I had to make a new category for this sort of post - “Citizen Governance.” This is so cool!