Nine city residents of have registered for the upcoming Leadership Bridgeport Program and there is room for a few more.

 

“We would like to have 12,” said City Clerk Andrea Kerr. “That would be ideal.”

 

The purpose of the annual program is to familiarize citizens with Bridgeport city government and services. Each year upon the program's completion, attendees share with organizers how they have been enlightened.

 

“One of the areas people don’t seem to know a lot about before they take the class is how the whole budget process works. We go through it from the beginning with them – how it starts out with the department heads and how they express their needs and how items then go through numerous work sessions with City Council before they are approved,” Kerr said. “Another area is the whole engineering process and what it takes for us to obtain a contractor. Even for the littlest projects, we go through the same process as one of our multi-million dollar infrastructure projects.”

 

Leadership Bridgeport will encompass city departments and services, as well as relationships between City Council, city administration and the community. Tours of facilities will also be included.

 

“We will start out with an overview of city government and go through all departments – including tours so we can show them some current projects we’re working on,” Kerr said. “We’ll meet at City Hall unless noted otherwise on the agenda.

 

Included on the agenda will be items of special interest, as has been indicated during past Leadership Bridgeport classes.

 

“We’ll throw some things in there that have sparked interest with some people, for example, the fiber to home project. We’ll go over the entire project,” Kerr said.

 

Classes start Friday, Oct. 9 and will convene the second Friday of each month for eight consecutive months. Sessions will start at 12 noon and conclude at 4 p.m.

 

"We’ll start with a working lunch and lunches will be provided," Kerr said. 

 

Graduation will take place at a June 2016 meeting of Bridgeport City Council.

 

Completion of the program is advantageous to class members and the city’s future operations. City Manager Kim Haws said the program has provided a valuable pool of potential volunteers to serve on various city boards and commissions.

 

“That is the biggest thing for us,” Kerr said. “We like to see people get interested in volunteering/donating their time. We look to those people first when filling positions on our boards, commissions and committees. We see how people interact and how interested they are in city government. It gives us a good feel as to whether or not they would be a good fit for one of our boards.”

 

For those who go through the series, the perks are many.

 

“I really feel that a lot of people don't know a lot about their local government,” Kerr said. “…There are just some behind-the-scenes things that people don’t understand and grasp. Hopefully, this gives them a better idea of how the whole process works.”

 

There is no fee to participate in the program. All participants must be at least 18 years of age. Anyone interested in participating in Leadership Bridgeport should contact the City Clerk Andrea Kerr’s Office for an application and additional information. She can be reached via phone at: 304-842-8233 or via email at: akerr@bridgeportwv.com. 

 

Editor's Note: Pictured from top are Kerr and Haws.