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You’re a Local, Elected Official

2012-01-05

A sincere “Thank You” needs to be said to all of the area municipal officials who left office at the end of 2011. Whether you chose not to run again or were defeated in November’s election, you served and were part of a deteriorating group of people willing the serve their community in what can be an unpopular position or one of the most rewarding things you’ll do in your lifetime. Most often, the outcome is up to you.

A hearty “Welcome” needs to be offered to all of the incoming area municipal officials as they take their place at the table of local government. Yours will not be an easy job in this struggling economy, and you should be commended for offering your services at this time. If you remember that you were elected to represent all of the people in your community, you will do just fine.

We are a collection of small municipalities and most of your neighbors know who you are and what you are capable of doing – heck, they voted for you and see you in the grocery store, restaurant or bank every week.

Put the people and the community’s interest first – not the Democrats’ and Republicans’. Whether you consider yourself “Blue,” “Red” or anything else, it doesn’t matter. You have opted to serve your community. The voters didn’t elect you to become a party hack – they voted for you because they trust that you will do the best job for them. Don’t let them down.

For those in office who are getting ready to start another year we invite you to pause for a moment, take out a pen and paper and jot down all of your accomplishments in your municipality for the past year. Not “What has the group done?” but rather “What had you done?”

We’re betting that most local elected officials will have no trouble remembering and citing their positive contributions. But, we’re also betting that there are still several elected, local government officials who respond faster to the calls of political party bigwigs than to the requests for help from their own neighbors. Interestingly, they tend to jot down what they did for their party as an accomplishment for the municipality and have little concept of what is expected from them. They are usually the “hangers-on” – just in the position awaiting their turn to dine at the party trough. Be loyal and raise enough money for the party and you will be rewarded with a position in the future. Whether or not you’re qualified doesn’t mean a thing, just tow the party line. Fortunately, at the local level, only a few of those types exist.

We all should be working hard to bury the notion that Democrats and Republicans must always oppose each other. It seems that party leaders need to have momentum floating in their direction all of the time. When that isn’t happening, that conflict must exist. Honest compromise rarely enters into decisions, and that is sad. This does not mean surrender, but honest discussion and argument that will lead to the best solution to any problem.

At the onset of 2012 remember who you are and what you are. You are a local, elected official representing the community you live in and the people who call you their neighbor.

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