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Open Door meetings aim to localize state election

By Madeline Wood, For The Miami Student

Representative Tim Derickson (R) from Ohio's 53rd will be holding "Open Door Meetings" for his constituents Oct. 17, throughout Butler County.

These meetings are open to the public and provide a one-on-one opportunity for citizens to voice their opinions on Derickson's platforms as well as give feedback on his campaign and the area in general.

The Open Door meeting in Oxford will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. on Oct. 17 at the Oxford Municipal Building. There will also be meetings held in Middletown, Monroe and Trenton that will follow throughout the day. These meetings are set to take place in each town's respective municipal building.

Higher education (common core), state income taxes and the direction of Ohio's economy are topics that have been previously mentioned in the meetings. According to butlercountyelections.org, the November ballot in Butler County consists mainly of educational tax levies and charter amendments.

Representative Derickson is running for re-election this November, and has been using these meetings as a way to reach out to the voters and address concerns they might have about topics in the news.

"The main goals for these meetings are to make state government as local as possible and show the community that I'm available to them," Derickson said.

As a citizen born and raised in Oxford, Derickson likes to remain involved with the community, and even said people can contact him on his personal line when necessary.

"Lots of people around here have my cell phone number, and they know they can call me anytime with questions or concerns," he said.

So far, Derickson is pleased by the attendance at these meetings.

"We've been holding these meetings since June, and attendance has definitely increased over the months," Derickson said. "I'm happy about that. It shows that the constituents want to be involved in their government."

The president of College Republicans at Miami, Charlie Meyer, has been in contact with Derickson's campaign, and said the Miami alumnus is planning on speaking at a College Republicans meeting later in the month. Meyer, in turn, plans to support the representative at his meeting.

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"Several members of our organization will certainly be meeting with him on the 17th, including myself," Meyer said.

Alyssa Knight, president of College Democrats at Miami, is not planning on meeting with Derickson.

"I agree that changes are necessary in Ohio regarding higher education especially," Knight said. "However, we also need to focus on issues such as worker's rights and local funding. Last year, the state balanced the state budget by using funds collected by local governments and our cities need that funding restored. Derickson supported the ways in which our budget was balanced."

Other Miami students and influential people in the Oxford community have also been in attendance. Miami's student body president Cole Tyman and the Chairman of Oxford's Arts Commission Jack Williams have both stopped by one of the previous meetings to have a conversation with Derickson.

The Open Door meetings on Oct. 17 are the last to be held before the November election, and Derickson encouraged everyone to pay him a visit.

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