Happy new year!
Did you see that the Ohio 134th General Assembly has been sworn in, elected their leaders in each chamber, and they are spending the rest of the week establishing their priorities?
Do you know who your State Representatives are? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT!
Too often, we focus only at the federal level - who is President and who controls Congress. But at the state level we have a lot of access to our state officials. Make sure you know who they are and read their bio’s. The reality is no one person can be an expert in everything. The best legislators are the ones who are experts at listening to other experts and making informed decisions, and we all have areas of expertise that can help our public officials be better public servants.
A few ideas to start help start off the 134th General Assembly right!
1. REACH OUT: Gather a small group of faith leaders or community members together to meet with your State Representative and State Senator. Identify your top 2 or 3 concerns from your community. Give them an in-person or virtual tour of your local food pantry or after-school tutoring program. You are the experts on serving neighbors.
2. Prepare for the budget: Governor DeWine will introduce his budget on February 1st. Attend our budget advocacy training in late January to learn more about how you can advocate for investments to build up our communities.
3. Get to know them now: These individuals will be serving our communities for the next 2-4 years. Reach out now so that you can get to know them. Learn about their priorities and interests, even if you don’t have a specific thing to ask them about now. Down the line, it will be easier to connect if a crisis arises for the community or a difficult vote is coming up for them. They are human beings too, and personal relationships matter.
4. Pray for them: Whether you agree with their politics or not, the vast majority of public officials are trying to do good for our communities. Remember that common ground and know that it is hard work. Pray for them to have wisdom to make good decisions that will strengthen our communities.