SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — On Thursday night, the University of Scranton hosted the Lackawanna County commissioner debate, the second in a short series of debates for local political candidates.
Last week, all four candidates for Scranton mayor visited the campus for their debate.
Both events provided students at the University of Scranton and other nearby colleges an opportunity to engage with local politics.
Students Grace Lennox and Philip Huffman particularly enjoyed the events, along with other members of their organizations.
The pair are leaders in their school community, with Lennox serving as president of the College Democrats and Huffman as president of the College Republicans.
For both the commissioner and mayoral debates, the students took to the podium to introduce the candidates and the rules, with behind-the-scenes preparation for the event providing context.
“We’ve had several meetings talking about how you can get involved, explaining what races are going on, what’s going to be on your ballot, what judicial retention means,” said Lennox.
The clubs allow students to be informed and involved in their local politics.
“We spread information about political events that are happening on campus, for example, this debate. We also have people that work with the local GOP office, such as door knocking or working with Trish Beynon’s campaign,” said Huffman.
For students living on the University of Scranton campus, the decision is theirs on where to vote.
“I think it’s exciting for students who aren’t from the area to get an idea of what’s going on more locally in the community they’re spending at least four years in. I also think it’s an important reminder to elected officials that our generation has their eyes on them and we are paying attention to what’s going on,” said Lennox.