A group of Franklin High School juniors and seniors spent part of their school day Thursday interacting with the Venango County Commissioners in the school’s auditorium. It was a chance for the soon to be adults to pick the brains of our community leaders.
Albert Abramovic, Sam Breene and Mike Dulaney were invited by Franklin economics and government teacher Matt Gustafson to speak to students about their roles as commissioners, the local effects of the upcoming election and anything else the students had in mind.
The commissioners told the students how and why they decided to get into politics and discussed their day-to-day responsibilities. Dulaney said, though he and Breene are Republicans and Abramovic is a Democrat, the trio works closely and well together and they do not see the “ugliness of partisanship” that sometimes shows in other offices.
“We’re getting along and we’re all working together because we’re all moving toward the same thing,” Dulaney said.
Breene told the students that it is “essential” for people to be engaged in the community. Abramovic echoed Breene's claims.
“Being young and being active really makes a difference going forward,” Abramovic said.
Students asked the commissioners’ about their future plans, how they handle political conflict from constituents and how local elections affect the community.
One curious student asked a fun question wondering what result of what the commissioners described as the biggest argument they have had so far this year: what color the new floor of the commissioners’ conference room should be.
Senior Eren McKinley was the first student to ask a question and took thorough notes throughout the discussion. He said that although he does not generally have high expectations for politicians, he thought the commissioners were “well-spoken” and got their points across about what being a commissioner entails.
“They really did provide an important reminder of how important local elections are and how we need to be engaged in that,” McKinley said.
Gustafson said afterward that he thought the experience was “worthwhile” and was grateful that all the points he wanted to hit on were brought up.
Photograph and text by Sydney Herdle.
Please check more of Sydney's work covering our communities here.
Albert Abramovic, Sam Breene and Mike Dulaney were invited by Franklin economics and government teacher Matt Gustafson to speak to students about their roles as commissioners, the local effects of the upcoming election and anything else the students had in mind.
The commissioners told the students how and why they decided to get into politics and discussed their day-to-day responsibilities. Dulaney said, though he and Breene are Republicans and Abramovic is a Democrat, the trio works closely and well together and they do not see the “ugliness of partisanship” that sometimes shows in other offices.
“We’re getting along and we’re all working together because we’re all moving toward the same thing,” Dulaney said.
Breene told the students that it is “essential” for people to be engaged in the community. Abramovic echoed Breene's claims.
“Being young and being active really makes a difference going forward,” Abramovic said.
Students asked the commissioners’ about their future plans, how they handle political conflict from constituents and how local elections affect the community.
One curious student asked a fun question wondering what result of what the commissioners described as the biggest argument they have had so far this year: what color the new floor of the commissioners’ conference room should be.
Senior Eren McKinley was the first student to ask a question and took thorough notes throughout the discussion. He said that although he does not generally have high expectations for politicians, he thought the commissioners were “well-spoken” and got their points across about what being a commissioner entails.
“They really did provide an important reminder of how important local elections are and how we need to be engaged in that,” McKinley said.
Gustafson said afterward that he thought the experience was “worthwhile” and was grateful that all the points he wanted to hit on were brought up.
Photograph and text by Sydney Herdle.
Please check more of Sydney's work covering our communities here.
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