Introduction

Executive Summary

Genesis/Planning

Components

Lessons Learned

Welcome to the Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce Public Service Candidate School web site!

The Chamber established this site to help you directly download our information in order to create a similar program for your area.

In 1992, Michigan voters approved term limits for our state legislature by a 58% to 42% margin. The effects of that vote began to be felt in campaign year 1998 when 64 members of the Michigan House of Representatives were termed limited. It is important to note that we really won't know the full effect of term limits on the legislative process until after the 2002 general election when we can assess the impact of changes in the Michigan Senate and Governor's office. As a result of term limits in Michigan, our Chamber decided to take a leadership role in the political arena by offering training for those individuals who may be interested in running for local office.

The Public Service Candidate School curriculum was developed by our Candidate Development Committee that consists of business and education leaders as well as past and current elected officials. The Committee wanted to offer a training program that gave individuals a better understanding of the local political process as well as the process for making informed decisions regarding public policy once one is elected to office. Our program was not aimed at ousting current elected officials but rather designed to give voters a wider selection of candidates.

The Chamber opened the program to the public and found program sponsors to cover the costs. We use all of the Chamber's communication vehicles as well as advertise in newspapers, send flyers to service clubs and our leadership academy graduates, etc. The Chamber also had registration available on-line at our web site.

We designed the program to be nonpartisan and invite elected officials and leaders from the Republican and Democrat political parties to participate. We present opposing viewpoints on critical local and statewide issues and urged participants to determine their own position on issues. We do not exclude anyone from attending.

The comprehensive course is viewed as a "one stop" place to learn how to run a campaign and what makes an effective public official. We focus on school board, township, city and county positions. We have conducted three four-part courses to date and one consolidated program in August of 1999. Our next offering will be a consolidated program following our state primaries in August of 2000.

New to the program this year, Western Michigan University offered 1 CEU (Continued Education Credit) or 1 college credit to participants who completed either the School Board or County/Township tracks of the 2000 Public Service Candidate School. Western Michigan University regular tuition costs apply for college credit. CEU credit was available at a lower tuition rate.

A Western Michigan University representative attended the first session and explained the college credit opportunity to session participants. A list was created as a result of interested participants. Chamber staff kept track of session attendance for Western Michigan University. After the session, Chamber staff would submit a copy of the sign-in sheet and confirm the attendees who were present. Based upon attendance, Western Michigan University would follow-up with the administrative duties for receiving credit with participants.

Thank you for your interest in our program. You'll notice that we have a "Candidate School" logo listed on our information. The Candidate School logo is to remind you that the Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce along Michigan State University prepared the materials. Please be sure to credit and/or reference our Chamber and Michigan State University when using our materials.

Introduction | Executive Summary | Genesis/Planning | Components | Lessons Learned