Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes held a panel discussion in a packed room the Paducah School of Art and Design with Paducah area leaders Thursday afternoon to discuss findings from the 2016 Kentucky Civic Health Index.
The effort is part of a statewide civic health tour to promote civic engagement in government and local communities.
Grimes says since the release of the first index in 2012, people have become more involved in their communities and the political process. But, she says, the index reports a lack of trust in the government and the media.
Paducah Sun editor Steve Wilson was on the panel. He said the distrust in media was partly due to political divisions in the country. Author and activist Jimmy LaSalvia echoed those sentiments and said "programming designed to perpetuate political fights" cause citizens to become disenchanted. Grimes encouraged attendees to contact lawmakers and leaders about issues they care about.
Paducah Mayor Brandi Harless was on the panel. She said Paducah would benefit from having a similar local index. “I think it would neat to do a local one to kind of understand even deeper what the issues are when it comes to people trusting their government locally, so for me in Paducah it’s just a matter of getting quicker solutions and I think civic engagement helps you do that," Harless said.
The tour began in Louisville and has been through every congressional district with the 6th district as its last stop.
