A group of local leaders aims to get residents in South King County more engaged through a series of community events.
Earlier this year, State Rep. Mia Gregerson, D-SeaTac, and Shaunie Wheeler, political director for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 77, started brainstorming ways to help people get involved and become community leaders.
They kicked off a summer series of community chats in SeaTac in May, and in July hosted a second event with local political candidates at a coffee shop in Federal Way.
On Monday night, more than 30 residents and community leaders gathered at the Kent Regional Library for a forum that featured a panel of members of the local media, who fielded questions from the audience on how to get more coverage of South King County in Seattle news outlets.
The panel consisted of Natalie Brand, KING 5 news political reporter; Lynn Thompson, a reporter for the Seattle Times; Sylvia Aho, marketing and sales manager for Radio Tonga and the Sound of Polynesia; Jeff McCord, executive director for Puget Sound Access; Jose Luis Gonzalez, executive producer for Univision Seattle; and Davies Chirwa, founder of Channel A-TV and DC productions and a Kent resident.
Another community coffee chat is set for noon to 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30, in Tukwila at Friendz Cafe, 12930 East Marginal Way.
The topic will be the voting process.
“People will come and get people to register to vote, but they don’t follow the ballot all the way,” Wheeler said. “That’s the problem. That’s where the disconnect is.”
In diverse communities like South King County, there are sometimes populations from other countries or backgrounds who don’t understand the voting process here, Wheeler said.
“How do we get communities to understand the process and help them along because that is hurting the vote,?” she asked.
Topics and dates for additional chats have not been set.
“We always get ideas from the community,” Wheeler said.
For more information or to get involved, send an email to shaunieandmia@gmail.com.
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