Clinton University provides Answers about City government
By Randy Bell
It’s a “university” without a campus, a sports team or a fight song. But you can learn a lot about City government at Clinton University.
It’s not a real school. It exists only online, a “crash course” by Director of Communication and Tourism Marlee Price-Cook to educate the public about how local government operates.
“I’ve been toying with this idea of doing like a ‘Civics 101’ for forever,” Price-Cook says. “And it seemed like a really great time to tie that in with school and graduation and learning. I’m hoping it’s something we can continue throughout the year. I see a really big need [for] explanations of why the City does stuff.”
Price-Cook says the social media responses she sees after information is posted on the City’s website suggest that there’s a lack of knowledge about government operations.
“And I can relate to that because, before I got this job, those were the same things that I would think.”
She sums up the concept of Clinton University this way: “It’s the belief that knowledge is power and that if people know how we do things in the government, then maybe they’ll want to start being part of the solution instead of continuing the narrative of what’s wrong with the City.”
Through the month of May, Price-Cook is planning to address one topic each week on the City’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, maybe two per week, depending on the response. She’s inviting citizens to ask questions via Facebook messages or comments or by emailing her at mprice-cook@clintonms.org.
Price-Cook decided to begin with a pop quiz on street maintenance.
“I thought a fun way to initially start that conversation was ‘do people know how many miles of streets that we have in Clinton that have to be maintained?’ And then we’ll go into how those streets are graded [for resurfacing] and what streets get put at the top of the list and why.”
She says a future topic may focus on the role of the Board of Aldermen.
When the informational program is finished, Price-Cook plans to post a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page on the City’s website featuring the various questions and answers Clinton University generated.
