SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Sunday marked the launch of a new civic engagement organization led by former Congressional candidate Dana Balter. The group is called Enter the Public Square and proclaims to be nonpartisan, however many in the organization were involved in Balter’s Democratic campaign.
Balter acknowledged the difficulties in bringing together people among all parts of the political spectrum. From the beginning, she has had concerns about reaching more Conservative individuals.However she said seeing new faces in attendance is a good sign for the groups’ immediate outreach and gave everyone in the room a piece of advice.
“One of the best things that you can do as a participant is bring someone who disagrees with you,” Balter said. “Politics is about all of us coming together in a room like this to figure out what challenges we face as a community and how we’re going to solve them.”
The non-profit organization started late last year and members are still working on funding. They plan to hold frequent meetings in the Central New York Community.
Balter said she the inclusion of all political views is paramount to the organization and she hopes this group is one where all can feel welcome.
“We are not focused on elections and candidates,” Balter said. “We are not supporting people running for office. As an organization, we are not taking positions on issues and advocating for them.”
The 150 attendees seemed to be confident in the rapid impact of the group and some expressed their excitement for the nonpartisan efforts.
“I can’t be [nonpartisan] all the time, but these activities can be,” said Nancy Brisson, a political blog writer from Syracuse. “Sometimes I relate better to a little partisanship, but this is something I think can be productive.”
Balter said the group will announce more meetings soon. She anticipates its next event will be a town hall-style meeting to hear some societal problems that Central New Yorkers see within their communities.
