Back in the early days of E-Democracy.Org, we partnered with some folks in Winona, Minnesota to help set up the first Local Issues Forum in our network, outside of the Twin Cities (Minnesota).
While, the folks of Winona Online Democracy did not always get the attention that our larger forums did in St. Paul and Minneapolis, the leadership of Winona Online Democracy were innovating and experimenting in ways that would eventually change the way E-Democracy.Org structures our projects. It was in Winona that we had our first steering committee for an Issues Forum, something that we now require of any new project entering our network.
Despite their early success and strong leadership in the E-Democracy.Org network, the Issues Forum in Winona has struggled over the last few years. Today, we’re pleased to announce the relaunch of Winona Online Democracy. Today, we’ve moved the Issues Forum in Winona to our Groupserver platform, along with all the other E-Democracy.Org projects.
The launch of the Winona Online Democracy 2.0 was pushed up by about a week, when early last week the state of Minnesota announced the closure of the Hwy 42 bridge that crosses the Mississippi, from the heart of Winona to Wisconsin. The closure of this bridge, meant a trip that used to take minutes would now take over an hour by car.
To see what the folks in Winona are saying about the closure of the bridge, check out the Issues Forum in Winona.