I've said quite often to "newbies" in politics that there is a startling difference between the acts of running for office and actually governing. If a new office holder has even a modicum of self-awareness then they are usually struck hard by this distinction. Once this stark difference hits you, it becomes imcumbent upon you to re-evaluate your goals.
It has been a lot of years since I last engaged in public service and I have been through this business of holding public office often enough where I knew the drill and thought I was completely prepared for the transition from candidate to office holder....but it still took me by surprise.
As I observed the actions of our governing body on Public Access TV and later, live, in-person, I thought that holding local office was about two things:
First, Ask the Right Questions. I always felt that the legislative body was off-topic; almost as if their questions on any particular topic were non-sequitors to the topic at hand.
Second, Hold the Executive Branch accountable. The executive brance has been, and continues to, get away with gross incompetence and nobody in the Legislative branch either knew or cared.
Those two issues became the basis for my "platform" upon which I sought office.
Once elected I found out the startling truth. The two planks of my platform are endemic to the system. The entire culture of our local government is based on something OTHER THAN WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE CITY. It's all about the City Government perpetuating itself and its system. My very first venture into challenging this system resulted in being treated like I was from another planet.
Fundamental Change is needed.
And that will become the goal of my office-holding experience...no matter how short or how long.... forget the subject matter....forget the issues....those will be only the vehicles for effecting change.....
Now....just how do we fit those pieces together to make this work the way it's supposed to?
