Stanislaus County District 2 Supervisor Vito Chiesa is bringing local to federal forms of government and representatives to the people in Turlock.
"We need to bring government back to the local level to hear the voice of the community,” said Supervisor Chiesa. “I’m not aware of another event where an area’s elected representatives from national, to State, to local have been in the same place at the same time. We need to bring government closer to home."
Supervisor Chiesa will host Turlock Government Night on Thursday, February 24th from 6:00 to 8:00pm at the War Memorial building in Turlock. The event will be a town hall-style gathering of federal, state, and local elected officials listening to the constituents they serve.
“All of us know we are in difficult times, and that we need to work together to find solutions,” said Supervisor Chiesa. “The first step in that is to establish a connection and trust with the people we represent.”
Supervisor Chiesa has been working aggressively over the past two years to bring more accountability to local government, with a greater focus on budget reform. He also is a staunch believer in a government that listens to the public at all levels. Supervisor Chiesa, who represents District Two on the County Board of Supervisors, is planning public meetings in other parts of his district as well.
"My goal for the event is to bring government back to the people and create an opportunity for them to meet with their Federal, State and local representatives all at one place,” said Supervisor Chiesa. “I want to give the residents of Turlock, and surrounding communities of my district, a forum to directly interact with the representatives they voted into office.”
Supervisor Vito Chiesa and a panel of elected officials, including Congressman Jeff Denham, Assemblyman Bill Berryhill and Senator Anthony Cannella, will provide a few minutes of prepared comments and then answer questions submitted by the audience.
“It will be a good opportunity for the public to hear from all the levels of government at the same time, and for government officials to hear how their decisions and policies impact others.”
Other locally elected officials, including the City of Turlock, Turlock Unified School District and TID, will also be available at the event staffing booths for those in attendance to visit.
Supervisor Chiesa stated, “I confer regularly with Congressman Denham, Assemblyman Berryhill, Senator Cannella and Mayor Lazar. We discuss the issues of our area and work collectively to find solutions to the challenges we face. We have a strong working relationship between the layers of government here in Turlock. I want people to see that work in action and be part of the process.”
Seating is limited to the capacity of the facility; those who plan to attend are encouraged to
RSVP by e-mailing chiesav@stancounty.com or by calling (209)525-6440. Seating is not guaranteed.
For those unable to attend, questions for Congressman Jeff Denham, Assemblyman Bill Berryhill Senator Anthony Cannella or Supervisor Vito Chiesa can be submitted in writing and must be received by Monday, February 21st. Mail questions to: 1010 10th Street, Suite 6500 Modesto, CA 95354, ATTN: Jennifer Carlson.
WHO: Stanislaus County Supervisor Vito Chiesa, District 2
SPEAKERS: Congressman Jeff Denham, 19th Congressional District of California
Assemblyman Bill Berryhill, 26th Assembly District of California
Senator Anthony Cannella, 12th Senate District of California
BOOTHS: City of Turlock, Mayor John Lazar and Council
Turlock Unified School District, Board Members
Turlock Irrigation District, Directors
WHAT: Turlock Government Night
WHEN: Thursday, February 24, 2011 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM
WHERE: War Memorial building at 247 E. Canal Drive, Turlock
