Gahanna Progressives History and Mission Statement

Gahanna Progressives was formed in April 2006. Friends who discovered our common interest in politics at the organizing meeting of New Albany Dems in summer 2005, Sheryl Williams and Joy Albrecht started talking with other active Gahanna folks, Steve Kostelnik and Sharon Montgomery about starting a Gahanna group. Several restaurant and living room meetings later, in April 2006 we settled on a name for the group and a design for a banner (created by Liz Peyton).

Our mission statement is: Gahanna Progressives support progressive issues and candidates and provide educational opportunities for the community on issues of interest.

In 2006, we sponsored a public meeting on the funding of education in Ohio. We held a 'meet the candidates' event for our members that included Democratic judicial, county and state candidates. We also borrowed a hybrid vehicle from Roush Honda and with a banner about fuel efficiency in the window, drove it as an entry in the Gahanna 4th of July parade. Our group also had a booth at the Gahanna Flea Market in September.

In 2007, we sponsored a public meeting on 'the Iraq war and Moral issues' with a panel of religious and political leaders from central Ohio giving their perspectives and answering questions. In the summer, we had a picnic at Woodside Green park in Gahanna where we hosted several speakers on green issues. In the fall of '07, we sponsored 2 public meetings to 'meet the candidates' for Gahanna mayor, city council and city attorney posts. Again in '07, we participated in the Gahanna 4th of July parade, this time driving the Toyota Prius hybrid of one of our members, Chris Muenzer. We also had a booth again at the Gahanna Flea Market where again, numerous central Ohio Democratic candidates stopped by to visit.