Interaction between citizens and the officials they elect to represent them is crucial to a democracy.

Citizens must be able to tell the officials what they want and what they don’t want. They must also be able to hold the officials accountable for their actions.

The elected officials must explain to the citizens why they take the actions they do.

In Fort Dodge there has been an event in place for at least 25 years that brings state, and sometimes federal, legislators together with citizens. It’s called Eggs and Issues.

Eggs and Issues is a forum that is held once a month while the Iowa legislature is in session. The first forum of 2023 will be held Saturday morning.

The forum will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the auditorium of the Bioscience and Health Sciences Center at Iowa Central Community College.

The state senators and representatives who serve Webster County are expected to attend.

During the forum, the legislators will give opening statements about issues and bills they are working on. Then they will answer the questions asked by the public.

The give and take between the legislators and the citizens is democracy at work.

It is something that everyone should want to be part of.

We encourage everyone to participate in their democracy by attending Eggs and Issues and submitting questions for the lawmakers.