This year, I’ve had the opportunity to work in the Wesleyan Sustainability Office as a part of the Sustainable Middletown program, a small but energetic team composed of our Sustainability Director Jen Kleindienst, Professor Emeritus Krishna Winston, co-intern Tamira Le, and myself. Our team has spent the last year revising the Middletown Government Participation Guide, a publicly available document meant to remove barriers to civic engagement by providing residents with clear information about how the City government works, how to participate in public meetings, and how to sustain long-term involvement. By removing those barriers, we hope to empower Middletown residents to make their voices heard in local government.
Two weeks ago, I had the honor of hosting the launch of the newly updated Middletown Government Participation Guide alongside the Sustainable Middletown team and Mayor Ben Florsheim.
We spent the evening in the Hubbard Room at Russell Library, joined by a diverse group of Middletown residents, Wesleyan students, experienced local organizers, and those new to civic engagement. I gave a brief presentation introducing the Government Guide, which was followed by discussions in small groups that invited participants to reflect on their experiences with civic engagement, identify barriers to participation, and connect with others around shared causes.
Our goals for the evening were simple:
- demystify how Middletown government functions, and show how the guide can help navigate its intricacies
- Offer actionable knowledge and some “next steps” for getting more involved with the political process
- Reinforce that the City of Middletown wants and needs to hear the voices of its constituents
Events like this are more important than ever—with democratic institutions and freedom of speech increasingly under threat, protecting and encouraging political participation is crucial.
In case you missed the event, the Government Participation Guide is now available on the City of Middletown website in English and Spanish. Whether you’re an experienced community organizer or just starting to get involved, the Guide was made for you.
A special thank you to Mayor Ben Florsheim for offering your time and unique expertise, as well as our co-sponsors for making this event possible: the City of Middletown, Russell Library, as well as our partners at Wesleyan— the Bailey College of the Environment, the Sustainability Office, the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships, the Government Department, and the Holding Hope Initiative.
Let’s keep building a culture of transparency and participation— democracy depends on it.