Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies

Oxford City Council debate, why students need to care

City Council campaign signs clustered together behind a storefront window in Uptown Oxford.
City Council campaign signs clustered together behind a storefront window in Uptown Oxford.

The following reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

For the first time since The Miami Student newspaper's inception, we will be hosting an Oxford City Council debate. All nine candidates will attend and answer questions from College Democrats, College Republicans, Associated Student Government (ASG), President Greg Crawford and us, The Miami Student.

City council, and Oxford's local politics in general, are generally detached from the student body. However, the city and the university are inextricably linked, and as at least temporary citizens of this town, we have a vested interest in paying attention to its government.

With the exception of Miami administration, Oxford municipal governance makes some of the most influential decisions about how we live our lives. They influence house pricing and availability through zoning, they shape the local business landscape through development efforts and they help control public safety through OPD and OFD.

It is imperative for students to understand the necessity of maintaining a strong relationship with our local government.

With a student running in the election, this year, more than ever, presents an opportunity to bring Oxford and Miami together.

Before you attend the debate, we recommend you do a few things to brush up on this year's City Council election. Read up on who's running. Our story has everything from the candidates' backgrounds to their online platforms. And you can always tweet us, @miamistudent, using the #OxDebate if you have any questions.

And while we strongly recommend showing up this Wednesday, we understand that not everyone can. So we've got you covered. You can watch our Facebook livestream from home whilst studying for midterms or read our coverage of the debate after on miamistudent.net.

And regardless of whether or not you can make it to the debate, everyone should visit the Butler County Board of Election's website to check voting status, voting location and more. And on November 7, the most important thing you can do is VOTE.

The debate takes place 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Wilks Theater.

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