Local is Best
While national politics is a miserable spectacle most days, the place that most needs your attention is your city. I am not saying you shouldn’t care about, read about, or vote in national elections. Of course not. But I want to suggest at least three reasons why you should be more engaged at the city level.
First, local government is on a much more manageable scale. You are not one voice in tens of millions but one voice in tens of thousands. You can not only know your mayor and council members by name, but you are much more likely to be able to communicate with them and even develop an ongoing relationship of engaged citizenship with them. You can visit and speak at public meetings, you can email and call your elected officials or city staff, and you can develop relationships with like-minded citizens who share your concerns. So, if you ever envision having a stronger voice in a democracy, it is best to start local. This is where you will find that voice more quickly and where you can learn more about how to be effective. Cities have many opportunities for citizens to be more formally involved in government than just voting, so I suggest investigating those opportunities.
Second, local government staff and elected officials are making daily decisions that affect your life directly. They are making decisions about transportation, land and water use, energy sources, housing, public services and public safety, and their efforts are shaping the character of the community where you live. This kind of influence is extraordinary when you think about it. Sadly, far too few citizens do actually think about it, preferring instead to give their attention to national politics or, worse, to no politics at all, preferring to live in ignorance of their own democratic opportunities and responsibilities. But this local government of your city is making decisions that affect your health, the health of the environment, the well-being of your children and of your neighbors. They are making decisions that could affect opportunities for growth and improvement of life and could create a vital sense of community for those who are struggling to make ends meet.
Third, because the size is more manageable and the issues more directly impactful, getting engaged at the city level will give you integrity. You and I aren’t sufficiently engaged if all we do is have opinions about politics. We aren’t sufficiently engaged if all we do is vote. Civic engagement requires developing relationships, knowing your community, knowing your city officials, and knowing the issues. You have far fewer filters of media and political party that stand in the way, as they do in the national scene, and prevent you from being able to see the situation clearly. For once in your life you can learn to be political without having to be partisan. Believe me, it is a breath of fresh air! You have your own direct experience and the direct experience of those around you and those in office to make something happen. Building on that experience over time will teach you how to be more politically effective. Effectiveness is something you learn from experience and work, not something that comes from click bait and social media trolling, or even from learning to master the heated conversations at Thanksgiving dinners. Politics is the art of building community. It is the art of engagement that builds real influence and power through relationships, communication, and work. It shapes your character and the character of your community. In a time when people espouse beliefs almost daily that do not correspond to how they live, local civic engagement will give you integrity as a citizen in a democracy. I think that is the best reason to be involved.
Then, who knows, maybe after some time, your city can shine as an example to the nation of how to be what Martin Luther King called the beloved community: a community of fairness, compassion, peace, justice, opportunity, and equality.
Please join us for our next event on April 9 from 7:00-8:30 on BYU campus (110 Tanner Building) that will feature the two Mayors of Orem and Provo and other officials to learn about how you can get more involved and have more of a voice in your community.