MEDIA ADVISORY
What:
As Detroit faces financial chaos, the active voters of key neighborhoods will again have an opportunity to fully grasp the scope of the crisis and weigh in on a potential course of immediate action. More than 100 people are registered for tonight’s Dinner and Dialogue workshop at 5:30 p.m. at the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit, 111 E. Kirby Street, Detroit.
In May, the CitizenDetroit Dinner and Dialogue event engaged active voters who reside in Midtown. More than 100 people attended that session. Many embraced the opportunity to express strong opinions about the city’s misplaced priorities with regard to funding of government services, and CitizenDetroit emerged as a platform for citizens and registered voters to become part of the real-time conversation to stabilize the city financially and affect future policy outcomes. Participant commentary resulted in extensive local press coverage and meetings with city officials.
When:
June 14, 2012 Northwest Detroit residents
• MEDIA OPPORTUNITY JUNE 14: To confirm your attendance or schedule an advance interview, contact Francine Wunder or Tom Reynolds at 313-577-2150.
June 19, 2012 Southwest Detroit residents
June 26, 2012 Morningside residents
Where:
The International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit, 111 E. Kirby Street, Detroit
More info:
CitizenDetroit’s Dinner and Dialogue community workshops engage voters from diverse neighborhoods in a budget simulation based on actual financial data provided by the Citizens Research Council. The purpose of CitizenDetroit’s tabletop exercise is to educate high-performance (active and registered) voters about historical factors and events that contributed to Detroit’s economic crisis, while engaging them in the resolution of immediately pressing issues. The exercise also illustrates the complex landscape city leaders and elected officials must navigate to protect and advance Detroit’s future.
Coordinated by Wayne State’s Forum on Contemporary Issues in Society (FOCIS), the Irvin D. Reid Honors College and the Eugene Applebaum Chair in Community Engagement, CitizenDetroit enlists four Detroit communities: Midtown, Northwest Detroit, Southwest Detroit and Morningside. President Emeritus Irvin D. Reid is the inaugural holder of the Applebaum Chair, director of FOCIS and a principal organizer of CitizenDetroit.
As a member of Governor Rick Snyder’s Detroit Financial Review Team and a co-signer of the Financial Stability Agreement between the City of Detroit and the State of Michigan, Reid has a unique perspective on the value of CitizenDetroit as a catalyst for putting the power of change back into the hands of voters.
In addition to supporting local civic literacy among residents, block associations and community associations, CitizenDetroit can be a source of valuable information for city agencies, civic leaders, elected officials and candidates for public office. The discussions will identify and explore issues important to Southeast Michigan’s citizens: public education, transportation, safety and security, economic development and the implications of Detroit’s newly adopted consent agreement for city management.
CitizenDetroit co-organizer and WSU Honors College faculty member Sheila Cockrel is a former Detroit City Council member and budget committee chair. According to Cockrel, data collected through CitizenDetroit will encourage continued learning by Detroit’s voters and electorate; the formulation of collegial relationships; and an open and honest dialogue between stakeholders and the region’s civic leadership.
Wayne State University is a premier metropolitan research institution offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.