Participants in Viz Transylvania celebrated and learned about local governance in Transylvania County at a program, designed with youth in mind on March 12.
The class of juniors from the county’s local high schools began their day in City Council Chambers with an historical look at city/county government by Joe Moore, city manager.
They then participated in group rotations, learning about the services provided by the different governmental agencies fromArtie Wilson, county manager; everything you need to know about elections from Karen Brinson, director, Transylvania County Board of Elections; and an overview of partnerships in education, presented by Scott Elliott, assistant superintendent, and Glenda McCarson, dean, Blue Ridge Community College Transylvania Campus.
When Viz Transyl-vania was being created, input was gathered from students who might potentially participate in the program. The planners continued to hear the “What do you do?” question as pertains to the people who hold positions in local government. So, the final part of the morning program was just that. Mac Morrow talked about the roles of the mayor and Brevard City Council and Page Lemel did the same for the Transylvania County Board of Commissioners.
Learning about the county meant participating in a budgeting exercise. Three Viz members served as commissioners. The remainder of the class was divided into three groups of community members whose job was to advocate before the Board of Commissioners for either Arts/Culture & Recreation, Education or Mental Health/ Substance Abuse. This was a public hearing on the budget and they presented their positions and requested budget changes to support their “cause.”