John Marion
At the next session of SNA’s free lecture series, John Marion, the head of Common Case Rhode Island, will discuss “How do we hold power accountable?”.
It will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24 at Summit Commons, 99 Hillside Ave., Providence. His presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer period and is open to the community beyond the Summit neighborhood.
In this time of intense political turmoil both nationally and locally, a discussion of ethics in the election process and in governmental behavior is seen as essential to the functioning of democracy. Common Cause calls itself a “citizens lobby” that promotes honest, open, accountable government in Washington and in state capitals.
Marion is executive director of the state’s affiliate, having joined the organization in 2008, and is its chief lobbyist and spokesperson in Rhode Island. He has led successful efforts to reform the state’s campaign finance disclosure laws, and put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to restore the Ethics Commission’s jurisdiction over the General Assembly, among others.
Before joining Common Cause, Marion was a graduate student in political science at Indiana University and taught and wrote extensively on American politics and public policy. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Binghamton University where he met his wife, Karen Ng. They have twin daughters and live on the East Side of Providence. In his spare time Marion is an avid recreational cyclist.
