About 50% have held, are holding, or are seeking public office. They credit the Forum's instant success to the fact that when they launched it, Dexter was in the middle of an emotional discussion about whether Dexter Community Schools should annex the Whitmore Lake school district. And, they thought they could do something about that locally. At the state and national level, people of different parties don't talk to each other. They wanted to make people aware that what is most important is that we approach solutions. They approach solutions to public issues from different directions. John and Karl have different political viewpoints, with one a Democrat and the other a Republican. John and Karl wanted to start something similar in Dexter. At the Fletcher Forum, people of different political viewpoints meet every Saturday. They were each aware of a similar concept in Ypsilanti, the Fletcher Forum, created thirty years ago by the late Peter Fletcher, a prominent Michigan Republican and longtime local businessman. Karl and John started the Forum in February 2015. After each meeting, John emails a summary of the discussions to a growing list of interested people. Although the meetings end promptly at 9:30, informal discussions often continue for some time. The group meets on the first and third Saturdays of the month at 8:30 am in the conference room of the Dexter Wellness Center, 2810 Baker Rd, Dexter. The point of the forum is not to advocate or endorse a particular solution, but to hear all points of view, listen, and learn. On average, about 50 to 60 people are at each meeting. More than 350 people have come at least once.
Most discussion topics are local, from roads to development to schools. The Dexter Forum provides a non-partisan opportunity for interested women and men to gather to discuss and share information about issues facing the community. After he left the Legislature, he continued in public service as a kind of interim everything-doing short stints as school superintendent in Willow Run, Brighton, and Adrian township manager of Scio city manager in Chelsea and Ypsilanti regional director of the March of Dimes and president of the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce.
John Hansen, also a long-time resident of Dexter, started in the Dexter Community Schools, eventually becoming DCS Superintendent and later winning election to the state House, where he served two terms as representative for District 52. He maintains a law practice in Ann Arbor. Karl Fink is a long-time resident of Dexter who served for a decade as a Webster Township trustee and as a Circuit Court judge for 18 years before retiring. Karl Fink and John Hansen organized and now moderate the Dexter Forum. The group meets on the first and third Saturdays of the month.
Supported by the Dexter Wellness Coalition as part of the 5 Healthy Towns initiative to “help connect with others in healthy ways,” the Dexter Forum provides a non-partisan opportunity for interested women and men to gather to discuss and share information about issues facing the community. There's a community forum taking place twice a month in Dexter known as "The Dexter Forum." Karl Fink and John Hansen created and moderate the forum to discuss and share information about issues facing the community.Ĩ9.1 WEMU's Lisa Barry spoke with them about how it got started, what's involved and who can participate.
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