The Lafayette County Democratic Party arranged five listening sessions in the county at the end of January and early February to hear concerns and issues of citizens. These meetings were held at the Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library, the College Hill Community Center, the Gordon Cultural and Community Center in Abbeville, the Lafayette Civic Center, and the Taylor Community Center. The meetings were well-attended, with about 200 people in total attendance. The issues varied widely from national concerns to more local city and county concerns.
The Lafayette Dems have already begun to address some of these concerns. An ad hoc Education Committee has been working to help people contact state legislators about funding problems in this session. There is a move to re-establish the League of Women Voters to help with voter registration and voting issues. A meeting to inform about the rights of released prisoners is in the planning stages. We have tentative plans to hold meetings in different communities and not simply on the Square in the future. And this is only the start of addressing listening session concerns.
The issues discussed at all the listening sessions were compiled, summarized, and follow below.