RANTOUL – On Wednesday, Republican and Democratic state lawmakers met with constituents at Rantoul Township High School to bridge political divides.
The Bipartisan Constituent Conversation was hosted by Braver Angels Illinois. It was the first time public officials in Illinois attended one of the nonprofit’s events.
“Our goal is to facilitate the conversation because so often we self segregate into our own like-minded groups,” said Matt Hausman, the “red-leaning” state coordinator.
The first public officials to attend a Braver Angels event in Illinois were Republican Representative Mike Marron and Democratic Senator Paul Faraci. Both state lawmakers represent parts of Champaign and Vermilion counties.
“The idea of legislators working across the aisle in a nonpartisan way is really important,” Faraci said. “We need to promote more of that because it better represents the people of the districts that we serve.”
At the event, they discussed the following topics:
- Divisive politics and how to come together to get things done
- Workforce development in Rantoul and northern Champaign County
Marron agreed with Faraci that nonpartisan work is important. He said the Braver Angels event is a great way to do that, especially given the discussion topics.
“It’s a good issue for some consensus and to get some common ground on to move forward,” said Marron.
Hausman said these topics were chosen with that goal in mind, because they just want both sides to talk with each other.
“It’s not about trying to find policy solutions,” said Hausman.
Because of this, the event continued without any major hiccups.
“I think that it was a nice surprise to be in a room that you could feel the love and support,” said Kimmy Taylor, independent and Rantoul resident.
