The following was posted on the City of Delaware, Ohio — Government Facebook page on June 13: “Congratulations Delaware Citizens Academy Class of 2024! Over four months, these dedicated residents attended 10 classes and totaled 23 hours of instruction on City services, functions and departments. With this class, we now count more than 250 alumni. Receiving diplomas Monday evening were Lisa Conklin-Moffatt, Andrew Moffatt, Andrew Gaietto, Melanie Forrest, Stephanie Haynes, Vincent Rosenthal, Elizabeth Fisher, Terri Fisher, Derek Hartschuh, William Stevenson, Jessica Bean-DeFlumer, Gregory Bean-DeFlumer, Gary Budzak and Gina Breglia. Since 2010, the free Academy has provided an inside look at the City of Delaware local government. We will start registering for the Class of 2025 in January.”
Lee Yoakum | City of Delaware
Years ago, I covered a public school district where two gentlemen would complain about how their tax dollars were being spent during the public comment portion of each board of education meeting.
After several instances, one district administrator called them out. He told the pair that instead of complaining, they should serve on the district’s finance committee and help determine the spending. No word on whether they did, but they stopped showing up at the board meetings.
In a related vein, a local attorney said during a webinar that when he served on a homeowners association, there would be people who kept wanting more things done. He said he tried to get them to serve on the board, with mixed results — some did and were assets; and others turned and walked away, never to be heard from again.
I say all this by way of introduction to a program being offered by the City of Delaware — it’s Citizens Academy. This is something many communities do, whether at the city level or its first responders. Last year, I attended the Westerville Police Citizens Academy, and this year, I attended the Delaware Citizens Academy. Both were fun experiences that I can recommend to anyone either interested in improving the system or just learning about it.
In the case of Delaware, the Citizens Academy is available to adults who live and/or work in the city. There were 10 sessions spread out over a couple months, each looking at a different department and how it operates within the framework of the local government.
As the seasons changed, the other academy attendees and I visited the city’s water plant (a good place to take students on a field trip), police and fire station, Hidden Valley Golf Course, and the Public Works building. While some of the buildings, like City Hall, are open to the public, others are off-limits under normal circumstances, so the behind-the-scenes view added to the academy’s appeal.
We participated in two hands-on exercises, too. One was choosing from a list of capital projects to spend a limited amount of funds on. The other was choosing the best uses for under-developed land in a part of Delaware County. Both of the exercises were examples of what finance and planning actually does on a regular basis. You quickly find out there are priorities, and then there are wish list items on these punch lists.
All the while, city employees, department heads, and elected officials were on hand to candidly answer any questions you have. You can sense their professionalism and enthusiasm.
Going through an academy course, whether it be from a municipality or a first responder, is a worthwhile experience that will give you a fresh perspective on how things work, and perhaps explain why some things are the way they are. It may even spur you to serve your community on a board, commission or committee. Oh, and by the way, current Delaware City Councilman Adam Haynes is a prior graduate of the Delaware Citizens Academy.
For more information, visit www.delawareohio.net/.
Assistant Editor Gary Budzak photographs and reports on stories in eastern Delaware County and surrounding areas.
