Since 1998, the Franklin County Consortium for Good Government has given two awards to individuals and/or groups whose volunteer and/or professional activities have indicated a deep commitment to our democracy as it has been practiced in the U.S.A., and who live or work in Franklin County. The two awards are the Good Government Award and the John Shrack Award (named for the late John Shrack who was one of the founders of the Consortium and was the recipient of the first award). Past awardees have included Mike Curtin, State Senator Ben Espy, Rev. Dr. Thomas Mori, Joyce Garver Keller, Sam Horowitz, Lee Leonard and the late Alvin Hadley. The Consortium uses these awards as a means of recognizing individuals who exemplify commitment to good government in an extraordinary way by influencing and promoting civic participation in the elective process in a non partisan manner.
Matthew Damschroder, Deputy Director of the Franklin County Board of Elections since 2008 was presented with the 2010 Good Government Award. The Franklin County Board of Elections has as many as 6,000 poll workers on Election Day with an average annual budget of $10 million dollars. Damschroder is also a frequent contributor to the Pew Center on the State’s “Make Voting Work” initiative.
Earl Wurdlow is the recipient of the 2010 John Schrack Award. Wurdlow has scheduled community leader forums at the First Unitarian Universalist Church for a dozen years now. The forums provide a platform for community leaders and scholars to examine issues of the day. “Earl is very dedicated to getting people to think about current issues,” explains Marilyn Webster, the individual who nominated Wurdlow for this award. “(He) encourages engagement of the community in social justice issues.”
The 2009 Good Government Award was presented to the Statehouse New Bureau (Karen Kasler, bureau chief, and Jo Ingles and Bill Cohen, bureau radio journalists). The Statehouse News Bureau was founded in 1980 to provide educational, comprehensive coverage of legislation, elections, issues and other activities surrounding the Statehouse to Ohio's public radio and television stations. To this day, the Bureau remains the only broadcast outlet dedicated to in-depth coverage of state government news and topics of statewide interest. The reporters at the Bureau follow the concerns of the citizens and voters of Ohio, as well as the actions of the Governor, the Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio Supreme Court, and other elected officials. They strive to cover statehouse news, government issues, Ohio politics, and concerns of business, culture and the arts with balance and fairness, and work to present diverse voices and points of view from the Statehouse and throughout Ohio. The three award-winning journalists at the bureau have more than 60 combined years of radio and television experience. They can be heard on National Public Radio and are regular contributors to Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Marketplace.
The 2009 John Shrack Award was presented to Avram Kluger. In his work through the Columbus Jewish Federation and as a private citizen, Mr. Kluger is noted for his community relations building efforts in Central Ohio. Mr. Kluger convened forums, organized events, and provided programmatic resources to break down barriers and strengthen a better understanding among the people in and around Franklin County. Through the Jewish Federation, Mr. Kluger also continued the tradition of strong support to the Franklin County Consortium for Good Government. His efforts to secure resources and in-kind donations and his contribution of his personal time all have contributed to the success of the Consortium’s candidates’ events over the years.