Forum with local policymakers set for Thursday

Mississippi House of Representatives District 38 Rep. Cheikh Taylor is organizing a town hall meeting of local state legislators for June 28. The meeting will be held in the community room of the Starkville Police Department headquarters at 6 p.m.

Although Taylor expects more confirmations, as of now, three representatives of Mississippi will be present for the forum. In addition to Taylor, State Rep. Kabir Karriem, a Columbus Democrat and Democratic State Sen. Angela TurnerFord have confirmed their attendance. Also invited are Carl L. Mickens, Rep. Karl Gibbs, a West Point Democrat and Rep. Rob Roberson, a Starkville Republican.

The meeting will be held in the style of a forum with local representatives as panelists. The representatives will have an opportunity to tell the community what issues they champion in an “intimate format,” and the community can present questions and concerns.

Taylor believes the primary job of a state representative is to report back to the community.

“Community members need to know what we're doing in Jackson and how this affects us here in Starkville and in District 38,” Taylor said.

Today, state representatives can report to their community through multiple platforms, but value remains in traditional methods.

“Town hall meetings are an age-old, very practical approach of disseminating information to concerned citizens,” Taylor said.

Taylor hopes to pack the room for the meeting, saying “best-case scenario, people leave energized and ready to help the political process.”

On the meeting's schedule are a series of topics, including education, transportation, criminal justice, and health care. Taylor personally plans to discuss the Medicaid technical bill.

Representatives will answer questions that citizens present at the meeting or questions submitted beforehand. Citizens can submit questions by posting on Taylor's Facebook page or texting Taylor's cellphone at 662-617-9029.

Taylor encourages the community to attend the meeting.

“This will be, truly, an informal, engaging town hall meeting,” Taylor said. “We're going to be able to share a lot of information.”