The Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce launching a “Coffee with a Candidate” series this week to provide residents with direct access to local candidates.
Director of Membership Karlyn Reel said the organization prioritizes providing opportunities for citizens to stay informed about local government and politics. Reel said the chamber represents the entire county and felt it was essential to host these events in Monterey, Algood and Baxter.
“Even if you work in Cookeville but you live in Algood, or you work in Cookeville but you live in Monterey, keeping pulse, keeping tabs on what is going on is super important and having a say with your local politics,” Reel said.
Reel said while folks often focus on the larger, countywide races like sheriff or county mayor, oftentimes it is the local municipalities that can have a direct impact on way of life.
“We believe that it’s really important for citizens to stay informed,” Reel said. “Often the things that are happening on this local level, so our county commissioners, our different city councils or aldermen, these roles are often the things that touch us the most, whether it’s roads or our school systems, different parts of our growth here in Putnam County.”
Reel said the events are free and open to the public regardless of whether an attendee is a member of the chamber.
“We are in the business of creating space for connection,” Reel said. “So in this case, it’s connection with candidates. In other spaces, you know, it’s business-to-business connections or whatever, but that is what’s important to us here at the Chamber.”
Reel said each candidate will receive five minutes for a formal introduction and specific remarks. Reel said the remainder of the 90-minute events will be dedicated to a meet-and-greet format where attendees can have one-on-one conversations with those running for office.
“I think the effects of being engaged with local politics is something that so often trickles down,” Reel said. “A lot of the things that are being decided by either our local councils or our county government are maybe not things that we’re going to see immediate side effects from. But they are laying the foundation for the future of our community.”
Reel said the chamber has seen turnouts of up to 90 people at similar municipality coffee events in previous years. Reel said while the chamber hosts these gatherings annually, they shift the focus specifically to candidates during election years to help educate the community.
“Some of our candidates don’t even necessarily have someone, an opponent, running against them, but it’s still just as important for members of the community to be engaged, to be educated, and to really know who’s representing them on that municipality level and then also the county level,” Reel said.
Reel said the Monterey event is scheduled for Wednesday followed by Algood on Wednesday, July 15, and Baxter on Tuesday, August 4. Reel said the first two events take place before the start of early voting.
“So definitely important to get out there, get educated, and go cast your vote,” Reel said.