Pepper Fisher
SEQUIM — City of Sequim officials are planning to start off the new year with a new program designed to give interested citizens a crash course in how local government and city operations work.
They’re calling it Sequim 101, which sounds a lot like what it is, a local civics course. City Manager Charlie Bush says the program is one element of the Neighborhood Plan, passed by the City Council last year, and he explained the issues it’s designed to address.
“The idea here is, we really struggle with people in the city and their interest in boards and commissions. And so we’re looking to help people get better prepared for civic service with the City by providing them an opportunity to learn a whole bunch of things about different departments and how the City works and functions. In addition to that, there’s a great opportunity for anybody who wants to be just more active in their community and understand how their government works.”
The program will consist of 10 weekly, 90-minute sessions on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Due to Covid restrictions, the course will be offered virtually.
Interested people can apply now at the City’s website and get a look at the curriculum, but only 15 applicants will be accepted.
“There are a few reasons behind that. One, we want to make sure the class is small enough, given that it’s virtual, for people to really connect with each other. That’s a part of it. Once we’re in person, we will probably get a little bit bigger and it’ll be a lot easier to do a lot of things. And it’s a first- time program as well. So we expect we’re going to learn a lot right out of the gate as well, and I’m sure we’ll make some changes before we get into doing this again next year.”
Bush says the selection process will be conducted by 3 City staff members and 3 City Council members.
Applications are due December 7 and Sequim 101 will begin on January 13.
“We’re looking to help people better engage with their government, and we have a lot of spirited emotion in our community about how people want things to be. And this is an opportunity to really learn about how to change things, and where do engage, and how to engage, and how it all works. How it at all fits together.”
Questions? Call (360)683-4908
Photo: City Manager Charlie Bush