The Library is marking a milestone this year for what seems to have become a rarity these days — the opportunity for civil political discourse.
The Saturday morning Legislative Coffee series, which begins this month at the Corinth Library, is in its 10th year of bringing together Johnson County’s state lawmakers and their constituents for coffee, doughnuts and discussions.
“We felt like this was a missing piece in our community,” explained Ashley Fick, civic engagement librarian, who initiated the program along with the League of Women Voters of Johnson County.
The main focus, she said, is providing a free, nonpartisan forum run by a neutral party.
Started as a pilot at three branches, the coffee series now runs from January to April at six branches throughout the Library’s service area. To see a full schedule and register, you can visit the Library’s events page or call 913-826-4600.
The series went online for three years during the COVID-19 pandemic, but before that, the series drew nearly 600 attendees total to five coffees. Last year was the first year back in person.
As the moderator, Fick said that setting ground rules for decorum at the outset has worked well as the program has grown and drawn more attendees.
“I think a lot of people are waking up to the fact that most laws are passed at the state level or the local level,” she said. “So it behooves us to pay attention to what’s going on there.”
In providing a space for lawmakers and their constituents to interact, the coffees are one of Fick’s favorite programs. She routinely hears positive feedback from the legislators and the attendees.
“I want people to feel like, even if they've never attended something like this, they can come in and it's not scary,” Fick said. “You can sit back and just listen if you don't want to ask a question. Or if you do have a question, you can ask it. It's not an intimidating environment.”
One state lawmaker even told Fick that attending a forum was the inspiration for running for office.
The history of the forums has coincided with the legislative terms of state Reps. Stephanie Sawyer Clayton, an Overland Park Democrat, and Jarrod Ousley, a Merriam Democrat. Both have routinely participated in the coffees.
Clayton and Ousley both said it’s a bonus whenever they can hear from their constituents.
“I can go and give a speech anywhere,” Clayton said. “It's their questions that are most valuable to me because that way I know what they care about, what's on their mind, what they're concerned about, and that helps me be a better legislator.”
Ousley said he appreciated that the coffees bring together panels of lawmakers from the Johnson County delegation. Clayton has seen that from both sides, having started her legislative career as a Republican but switched parties about six years ago.
Clayton vividly recalled the 2016 forum she participated in for its large crowd and the anger among the constituents as the state was facing budget problems precipitated by tax cuts championed by then-Gov. Sam Brownback.
Both lawmakers, though, noted the overall civility of the audiences at the legislative coffees.
Perhaps that has something to do with the ingrained mentality of being on one’s best behavior in a library and hoping to avoid a disapproving look from a librarian, Ousley said.
Clayton agreed that the Library provides the perfect atmosphere to listen to all viewpoints.
“It’s doing what America does,” she said. “It's the exchange of free ideas and thoughts in an open, safe, civilized, and dignified space.”