29, skipping Thanksgiving Week.Īmong those enrolled is Frank Fleming, a modified race car driver recently involved in an issue with city government surrounding a sign for his new body shop on Merita Street which culminated with a favorable vote in August.įleming, and a large group of local supporters including state Rep. Ninety-minute sessions will continue over a nine-week period until Nov. The Mayberry Citizens Academy class schedule includes a range of topics such as city and state government relations, firefighting, police and code enforcement, public works/utilities, finance, parks and recreation and planning. These programs address what is considered a knowledge gap between citizens and government. Such academies, also known as leadership institutes, seek to educate residents through direct contact with public officials, site visits and hands-on activities, and are fairly common throughout the nation, local organizers say.
The goal of the Citizens Academy is to help Mount Airy residents better understand how local government operates while benefiting the community overall.
The response was so great that city officials decided to allow more applicants. “We need people to know what’s going on and how things work.”Īpparently, a healthy number of citizens are interested in that, with the 25 enrollees representing an expansion from the 15-student limit announced initially. “There’s a lot more to the city than people think about,” Mayor Ron Niland said as the first of eight class sessions got under way late Tuesday afternoon. A new Mayberry Citizens Academy launched this week in Mount Airy which is allowing 25 local residents to learn more about municipal government.
0 kommentar(er)
