Wiener, and I will be serving as one of the co-managers of this forum. I am
quite excited about launching this new online space to discuss the issues that
matter most to the residents of Central Ohio, and I look forward to working
with you all in the effort to build a deeper sense of regional unity and
community.
To help facilitate healthy discussion we would like to begin by conducting a
round of introductions so that forum participants can learn about each other
and learn about the issues that matter most to you. I will start by providing
a sample of the type of introduction we hope you will post to the new forum,
and we hope that you will take this opportunity to start participating right
away.
Just to give you a brief background about myself, I am a second year graduate
student at The Ohio State University. I am currently working on dual Masters
Degrees in Public Administration and Natural Resources at the John Glenn School
of Public Affairs and the School of Environment and Natural Resources. My
research interests center on environmental policy and energy issues, and my
thesis is going to focus on Distributed Energy Generation. I was born and
raised in California but have lived in Columbus for the past three years and
consider Central Ohio home. I have greatly enjoyed getting to know the new
community I live in, and I look forward to learning even more about the region
through my interactions with all of you in the forum.
As co-manager of the forum my goal is to keep this space safe and civil for an
open and honest discussion about the issues that matter most to you.
Everyoneโs voice has a right to be heard, and this forum represents a unique
new venue in which this can occur. I hope that we are able to use this space
to share insights and solutions to the pressing concerns facing Central Ohio,
and to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to help shape the future of
our region.
In order to post your own introduction please select the "Reply All" function
on your email and tell us about your background, your interests, and any
particular topics or issues that you would like to see us discuss in the coming
weeks.
Thank you all for joining the Central Ohio Regional Issues Forum, and I look
forward to working with you to build this exciting new online community.
Best,
Josh Wiener