LEXINGTON, MA—Indian-Americans of Lexington, MA, are organizing a free seminar on “Indian Americans Participation in Town Governance” in Lexington on Nov. 12. The seminar is free and open to residents from all towns.
“I think we have a unique thing going in Lexington and if other towns can get help from the seminar it will be great,” said Ravish Kumar, a member of the Lexington-based Getting Involved Group (GIG), which is organizing the event.
Sanjay Padaki, who along with Kumar, is leading the GIG seminar efforts, said this is a critical year because Town Meeting Members in Lexington are typically elected to three year terms.
“An unprecedented five Indian American TMMs were elected in 2015 and another surge occurred earlier this year,” said Padaki. “Having a third wave of participation during this next election cycle would ensure the continuity of our community’s representation in our town government.”
Added Kumar: “This is a team effort where all TMMs come together and look forward to improving upon the prior year numbers. This has been the story for the last two years. We are getting stronger at delivering our message and getting more Indian Americans involved.”
The free seminar, which is being organized with the goal of bringing more Indian Americans forward to serve in town governance, will be held on Nov. 12 from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm in the room # 237 at the Lexington Community Center located at 39 Marrett Road, Lexington.
“The session is intended to educate the Indian American community on why and how to get involved in the activities and governance of the town,” GIG said in a statement. “It will feature a keynote address by Jessie Steigerwald of the Lexington School Committee.”
All interested persons are welcome to attend this free event. Tea and light refreshments will be available.
Indian Americans of Lexington (IAL) and the elected Town Meeting Members collaborated to create GIG. The mission of GIG is to actively reach, educate and encourage other Indian Americans to participate in the governance of the Town of Lexington and its committees.
In 2014, six Indian Americans successfully ran and were elected as Town Meeting Members. The momentum increased in 2015, when five additional Indian Americans were elected.
This year, 2016, is crucial to complete the cycle and build sustainability as each Town Meeting Member is normally elected for a three-year term, the statement said. Additionally, there are many opportunities for Indian Americans to participate in town committees and contribute their skills.
