After three months of collaboration and preparation, the Wilton Model Congress, an after-school club at Wilton High School, and the Wilton branch of the League of Women Voters successfully executed and participated in a debate between congressional candidates Dan Debicella and Congressman Jim Himes.
The debate was held at the Wilton High School’s Clune Center for the Arts on Sunday, Oct. 19 and provided an opportunity for members of the communities of Wilton and surrounding towns to ask their own questions about topics that will influence their vote on Nov. 4 for their representative to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Immediately prior to the debate, Wilton Model Congress vice president Emily Fanwick, a WHS senior, and secretary Jessica Kobsa, a junior, managed a table in the Clune Center’s Zellner Gallery to do two things: raise awareness among the Wilton community of the club’s cause and conduct straw polls for the upcoming congressional election between Himes and Debicella. Out of 26 voters who participated in this unscientific straw poll, 23 voted for Himes.
Showing special interested in the club was Phil Sharlach, a Wilton resident and candidate running for State Senate, who spoke to the club members about little-known details of the political campaigning process.
“Speaking with a local politician and listening to the two congressional candidates debate pressing policy issues was such an eye-opening experience to how involved young people really can be in the political process,” Kobsa observed. “It seems that many young people do not realize that politics are not too fast-paced or complicated for them to get involved.”
There were other Wilton Model Congress club members who were involved with debate activities. Whip Randy Ramirez helped staff a table as part of one of the candidates’ campaigns; he had been working for that campaign during the summer. Several days before the debate, club member and senior George Mgaloblishvili collected questions for the candidates from a number of Wilton High School students interested in politics, and submitted them to the League of Women Voters. “I believe it is important to get the young generation actively engaged in the political process, and this debate gave students the opportunity to do that. Many of these students will be of voting age within the coming year, so the addition of their questions to the congressional debate added a new dimension which otherwise would not have been present,” Mgaloblishvili said.
While the candidates debated, Wilton Model Congress president Alika Zangieva, a WHS senior, took on the role of a question-screening committee member. As the committee member unaffiliated with a political party, she worked alongside two League of Women Voters members, one a Republican and the other a Democrat; together the three adjusted questions submitted by the public to make them appropriate and applicable to both candidates.
“Being a part of the screening process was really privilege,” Zangieva reflected. “It allowed me to become an active member of the entire debate. At the Wilton Model Congress we always strive to promote political engagement among future voters and this experience was a great step to that goal. Both Kathy Burgweger and Cheryl Dunson (of the League of Women Voters) were extremely helpful and inclusive throughout the process.”
Club member Tara Hashemi, a junior, acted as a timer for the candidates’ speaking times. “The experience of being able to time the debate was very memorable and educational. Not only did I learn about a debate’s intricacies, but tt was one of the first political events in my community that I actually felt a part of and was engaged in,” she said.
In the audience were sophomore club members Lyza Serra and Ravi Siripuram.
In the moderated debate format, the candidates answered questions that were both posed by audience members that day and submitted beforehand. Debated topics ranged from environmental concerns, such as climate change and energy efficiency, to gun safety measures, and also touched on gender inequality in the workforce and raising minimum the wage.
Wilton Model Congress allows Wilton High School students to simulate the United States Congress. Students write and debate legislation during weekly meetings chaired by a club member. Students can join the club at any time. The Wilton Model Congress meets on Thursdays for an hour after school with the help of advisor Ken Dunaj. Selected club members have the opportunity to participate in collegiate model congress conferences each year. Past trips have been to Yale Model Congress, Harvard Model Congress, and Columbia Model Congress.
For more information about Wilton Model Congress, contact Alika Zangieva at alika.zangieva@gmail.com. For more information about the Wilton branch of the League of Women Voters, contact wiltonlwv@gmail.com.