All Swampscott residents are invited to participate in a Community Forum to be held at 7:00 PM on March 7 at the Swampscott High School on Essex Street. The topic is “Transportation and our Community Life”. The event is being led by Swampscott residents Clinton Bench and the Reverend Anita Farber-Robertson. It is the second of a series of non partisan Community Forums sponsored by the Swampscott Democratic Town Committee (SDTC). A similar Forum was held in October, 2009 and was widely praised by its participants. “The purpose of these Forums”, Bench explained “is to promote civil and respectful dialogue among neighbors on issues that affect our daily lives.”
“While the Forum is being sponsored by the SDTC it will not be focused on elections or partisan politics – instead, it will be an opportunity for neighbors to share what they value and what they would change about our transportation system and its impacts on our community life” said Farber-Robertson.
The Forum will begin with dialogue in small groups, giving everyone the chance to describe their daily experiences with our local and regional transportation system, including non-motorized transportation, public transportation, and roads. Participants will end as a single group to discuss the relationship between transportation and community life – how our transportation network supports our ability to learn, play, and work as a community, and how it can sometimes serve as a barrier.
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“This is a new style of community problem solving - one based on listening, engagement and respect”, Farber- Robertson stated. We will be learning by better understanding our neighbors.”
“In addition to serving as an opportunity for respectful dialogue, participants will also have the opportunity to identify specific initiatives they would like to advocate for after the forum” said SDTC Chair, Ralph Edwards.
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State Senator Thomas McGee and State Representative Lori Ehrlich will co-host the event and all of Swampscott’s major elected officials as well as members of the town’s Republican Committee are invited to participate in the small group discussions.
Light refreshments will be served and people of all ages and points of view are encouraged to attend – voters and non-voters, citizens and permanent residents, are all invited to participate. “This is democracy in its purest form”, said Bench.
Swampscott residents can find more information about the Community Forum at www.swampscottdems.org. or by emailing http://swampscottdems.org/contact/
