Have you ever thought about running for public office? If so, you may want to take advantage of some helpful training being offered for prospective candidates. The training, which begins next month, is being offered by the Central New York Political Leadership Institute. Our Brad Vivacqua has more.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Whether you may be considering a run for village mayor or perhaps a school board position, this training can be a great tool for any potential candidate. This program was started as a way to decrease the number of uncontested races for elected positions.

The Central New York Political Leadership Institute will lead these sessions for seven weeks beginning on February 9th. The curriculum will focus on topics including messaging, working with the media, and campaign organization. Other topics including finance, fundraising, and how to get on a ballot.

Some current and former elected officials will help with the training, which may help encourage people to get started.

"We're trying to get people involved and engaged in the process. We think there are probably some people out there, maybe a lot of people that might do it, that might run for office if they just had a way to get started and a way to get a little information, and that's what we're trying to do," said Kevin Tampone, CNY Political Leadership Institute Chairman.

The training will cost $75 per person, which includes meals and supplies.

Leadership Greater Syracuse and CenterState CEO are the main sponsors for the training, and YNN is a media sponsor.
If you're interested, there will be an informational session on Thursday, January 26th at the Doubletree Hotel in Syracuse. That session will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and you can learn much more about the training there.

Visit www.cnypolitics.org for more information.