San Antonio’s young professionals will have the chance to candidly discuss local government with Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, Mayor Ivy Taylor, and City Manager Sheryl Sculley at the panel “Your Government, Explained” hosted by the Leadership Organization of Professionals (LOOP).
The free event on Tuesday, March 8 will be held in the City’s newly renovated Plaza de Armas building and will give attendees the opportunity to learn about ways they can participate in major county and city initiatives, as well as have questions answered about the function of various local government entities.
There will be a 30-minute networking portion starting at 5:30 p.m., when attendees can mix and mingle with other local young professionals before the panel discussion begins at 6 p.m.
For more information or to register for the event, click here.
“(LOOP) has done a lot of events focused on civic engagement and have had several council members come to our events, but this is the first time having (Wolff, Taylor, and Sculley) all in the same room at one of our events,” said LOOP Director Laura Elizabeth Morales.
The event is an attempt at increasing civic engagement, which is typically low in younger San Antonio generations, Morales said.
“We looked at voter turnout for the last election and it was really sad,” she said. “We thought: let’s get local leaders out (to) increase participation.”
A spin on traditional panel discussions, the event will “have more of a talk show feel,” Morales said. Charles Gonzalez, KSAT-TV anchor and owner of Rosella Coffee, will be the night’s moderator and will be walking around the audience fielding questions not only about the way the local government functions, but also about the panelists’ successes and failures as leaders.
The City is currently developing plans for the 2017 municipal bond, the Tricentennial Celebrations in 2018, and establishing SA Tomorrow, the City’s three-pronged planning effort for smart and sustainable growth for San Antonio. There will be plenty to talk about.
Wolff, Taylor, and Sculley see the importance of keeping the younger generations of San Antonio leaders informed and encouraging them to play active roles in the community.
“Civic engagement is critical to the success of our city programs and initiatives. The City of San Antonio is always looking for new ways to engage with all of our residents, especially Millennials,” Sculley stated in a news release.
The event is geared towards young professionals, but all community members are invited to attend, Morales said.
“This is an event that’s meant to be inclusive, and we want everyone to come out and learn as much as they can about our local government.”
*Top image: City Manager, Sheryl Sculley discusses the approved city budget. Photo by Scott Ball.
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