Owatonna Forward moves to the yes vote

A local group rallied to gather support for the bond, lead by chair Mrs. Peng Olson. This group focuses on getting a “Yes” Vote. Mrs. Olson said, “Owatonna Forward is a grassroots coalition of citizens from the Owatonna community, and we are about advocating for the upcoming school bond referendum. We got started back in the summer, during the Steele County Free Fair. We had a little over 100 volunteers from a very large cross section of the community that came together to begin the messaging behind Owatonna Forward.” Members of the community have started to see some of the campaigning happening around Owatonna. Between lawn signs and advertisements, Owatonna Forward has been very busy.

When it came to explaining why Owatonna Forward is so important, Mrs. Olson said, “It’s needed because with the school bond initiatives, the school board can address the facts. Their mission is to really educate the community around what’s needed and what will be affected. Owatonna Forward is an advocacy group. We’re really the ‘cheerleaders’ for the bond referendum.We want to motivate; we want to inspire the community to get out and get educated about the referendum and then finally vote.”

On the morning of Halloween, they will be having a ‘knock and drop’ event. During this event, they will be going around to over 100 different routes to put door hangers on people’s front doors, sharing facts about the bond referendum. Also, on Halloween, they will be having an activity for kids. There will be a trick or treat trail event held during the afternoon at Mineral Springs park. Volunteers are still needed and can be any age.

Mrs. Olson has a message for OHS students over 18. As Mrs. Olson’s numbers currently stand, there are 130 Owatonna High School seniors eligible to vote. Mrs. Olson said, “If you are one of the 130 that are 18, I encourage you to get registered and go vote!”