“When you leave tonight, I want you to either help someone be mayor or stop someone from being mayor. I do not care who you help or stop.”That is the message from Don Washington, the man behind Mayoral Tutorials, a weekly “satirical town hall meeting” that keeps audiences “dangerously informed” about Chicago’s election issues.

“I decided to do it as an act of civil engagement, basically,” Washington said. “I think it’s important that everyone gets an opportunity to engage directly in democracy.”Washington said his troupe contacted all the mayoral candidates to appear in the show for a question and answer session but only two responded – Miguel Del Valle and Saturday’s guest, Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins.

Van Pelt-Watkins said she was thankful for an outlet to have her voice be heard after being shut out of several mayoral candidate forums.

“I’m just happy that I’m getting an opportunity to just share the ideas I have in different forms,” Van Pelt-Watkins said. “This was a form that I think was really good for me.”

Washington, 45, is a community activist who runs an investigation team of 52 people comprised of forensic accountants and experts in public policy who research published media reports concerning candidates.

Van Pelt-Watkins said the show,  “makes people question what they’re hearing.”The interactive aspect, which includes political bingo where the audience asks each other questions about their knowledge of politics, provides an outlet they otherwise may not have.

“That means when they talk to each other or when they’re on stage, they have an opportunity to educate each other, which is part of why I’m doing this,” Washington said.