Dharma Realm Buddhist University and the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas hosted a Candidate Forum for Mendocino County District 1 supervisor, the district that includes our campus. With the election coming up on March 3rd, our community was eager to get to know the candidates and ask questions about our local area. Four candidates attended the event, all of whom made statements and fielded questions. Over 100 people turned out, including DRBU students & staff, City of Ten Thousand Buddha community members, and local neighbors. Prior to the forum, DRBU hosted a student information session covering when and how to register to vote, and the mechanisms and responsibilities of county government. Several DRBU students registered to vote for the first time.

MA student Kim Deckman shared, “It seems to me our democracy is threatened these days by more and more fragmentation in society. Without common spaces of discourse and dialog, there can be no informed participation in our democratic processes. I feel really proud that DRBU is not only fostering meaningful community for students and staff, but that as a result of this shared connection, DRBU is able to offer the broader community a place of exchange around local policy issues. Our strength as a small, but coherent community can in this way contribute to a local revitalization of our democracy.”

DRBU President Susan Rounds shared her gratitude regarding the event, saying, “I was happy to see the impressive turnout from the CTTB and DRBU community, and many neighbors and friends from Ukiah. And I am very grateful for the incredible support from so many DRBU people who worked hard to make the event a success.”