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Captainnumnuts

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How does it work in your town? Real politics - not the hearsay nor nay say. I mean, who pulls the strings that effects YOUR life and the ones you share it with?

Tonight, I will be attending my 1st open town hall meeting. Strictly as a concerned citizen in a little known town I consider home.

It's about a sidewalk that doesn't exist yet. One of the reasons I'm going is this particular sidewalk topic has somehow managed to avoid becoming a reality for 40 some odd years as newer, less relevant ones continue to be put in place.

I won't be alone in this endeavor. We've done our homework on it - extensively. Armed w/facts, I tend to think better on my feet and fly by the seat of my pants. At least my mouth does. Hopefully, other locals in this town will follow suite. I have the strongest feeling this particular non-existent sidewalk will become a footstep in breaking the ice in the much larger grand scheme of things.
 
Locally? WHO matters are not the elected councillors but the permanent officers. When an item appears on an agenda it comes with recommendations from the appropriate officer(s). Councillors have difficulty going against the officer(s)' recommendation, particularly on planning issues or any item that has a cost.

The important contact on any issue is the responsible officer. If you can persuade him/her that the recommendation should go the way you (and your community) want, you are three-quarters of the way to success. If your relationships are strong enough that you are a go-to consultee when a proposal is first considered, you can influence the way that proposal is made.

That is also true for the councillors. They need good working contacts with the officers.

Beyond that, personal contact with the councillors, particularly the party leaders, can help amend, alter, modify proposals.

By the time any issue gets to the public debate - the battlelines are already drawn, the likely result of voting is known, and the possibilities for change or reversal are very limited.

BUT - if you consistently push a proposal and are prepared for a long and protracted campaign, you might get what you want after a decade or so. You won't get any credit because the decision is made by the councillors.

I have been arguing for a public toilet alongside the children's play area for thirty years. We now have it. The local vandals trashed it two days before it opened. It was repaired by the opening and is still in use. But it is seen as the personal project of a local councillor who wasn't elected until twenty years after I first raised the possibility.

There are other local initiatives that I have started. Some are in existence. Some have been completed and are part of the local infrastructure. Some might happen after I'm dead and gone. Some will never happen. I will get no thanks for any of them because I didn't provide the line in the budget to pay for them, nor get the political numbers for the successful votes in favour.

Getting things done through local politics takes a very long time, a considerable amount of work, and only you will know who really made it happen.
 
Corrupt Democrats whore their seat of power out to the elite/wealthy......that's how my local government works. :cool:

IF you have money, you can buy access to the markets....

If you're poor...get fucked.

Weeeew!! Go California!!
 
oggbashan said:
Locally? WHO matters are not the elected councillors but the permanent officers. When an item appears on an agenda it comes with recommendations from the appropriate officer(s). Councillors have difficulty going against the officer(s)' recommendation, particularly on planning issues or any item that has a cost.

The important contact on any issue is the responsible officer. If you can persuade him/her that the recommendation should go the way you (and your community) want, you are three-quarters of the way to success. If your relationships are strong enough that you are a go-to consultee when a proposal is first considered, you can influence the way that proposal is made.

That is also true for the councillors. They need good working contacts with the officers.

Beyond that, personal contact with the councillors, particularly the party leaders, can help amend, alter, modify proposals.

By the time any issue gets to the public debate - the battlelines are already drawn, the likely result of voting is known, and the possibilities for change or reversal are very limited.

BUT - if you consistently push a proposal and are prepared for a long and protracted campaign, you might get what you want after a decade or so. You won't get any credit because the decision is made by the councillors.

I have been arguing for a public toilet alongside the children's play area for thirty years. We now have it. The local vandals trashed it two days before it opened. It was repaired by the opening and is still in use. But it is seen as the personal project of a local councillor who wasn't elected until twenty years after I first raised the possibility.

There are other local initiatives that I have started. Some are in existence. Some have been completed and are part of the local infrastructure. Some might happen after I'm dead and gone. Some will never happen. I will get no thanks for any of them because I didn't provide the line in the budget to pay for them, nor get the political numbers for the successful votes in favour.

Getting things done through local politics takes a very long time, a considerable amount of work, and only you will know who really made it happen.
Click to expand...

Excellent! You've made some progress and that's impressive. I'm learning what you say about WHO matters is true. As I suspected.

Last night I lost my political virginity, so to speak. True to my nature, I couldn't keep my mouth shut. But it was not w/out purpose. I and a few others addressed the city council and mayor directly w/little or no 'antics'. I'm very honest and straight forward, but I'm no angel when honesty, compromise, and patience have failed.

I was almost escorted out after I went straight to the heart of the matter and embarrassed the council in a public format. Of course, other issues arose. They're not too happy w/me. Despite my disposition, I somehow energized the people in the building. It got so loud, you would have thought it was a concert or some type of entertainment going on. Though the meeting was open to the public, I was amazed at how few were there. Apparently, the vast majority of so-called 'loyal citizens' care very little about their own town. Either uninformed or choose to remain silent.

I'm still nervous and shook up. Wondering wtf I started. What enemies have I created?
 
Captainnumnuts said:
Excellent! You've made some progress and that's impressive. I'm learning what you say about WHO matters is true. As I suspected.

Last night I lost my political virginity, so to speak. True to my nature, I couldn't keep my mouth shut. But it was not w/out purpose. I and a few others addressed the city council and mayor directly w/little or no 'antics'. I'm very honest and straight forward, but I'm no angel when honesty, compromise, and patience have failed.

I was almost escorted out after I went straight to the heart of the matter and embarrassed the council in a public format. Of course, other issues arose. They're not too happy w/me. Despite my disposition, I somehow energized the people in the building. It got so loud, you would have thought it was a concert or some type of entertainment going on. Though the meeting was open to the public, I was amazed at how few were there. Apparently, the vast majority of so-called 'loyal citizens' care very little about their own town. Either uninformed or choose to remain silent.

I'm still nervous and shook up. Wondering wtf I started. What enemies have I created?
Click to expand...

Public participation on any local issue is likely to be in low numbers unless it affects people personally. Then you might get numbers involved for a short campaign. Most such campaigns are more noise than substance.

Speaking in public at a local government event is an acquired art. Locally we are restricted to a maximum of three minutes per speaker. For most speakers it is their first and last time ever. The best have written out their speech, practised and timed it.

I have been speaking to councillors at public meetings for five decades. My personal rules:

1. Only THREE points in the speech. The councillors won't remember more by the time everyone has spoken.

2. Be relevant and refer to the laws or regulations. 'I/we don't like it' is not a valid argument.

3. Be brief. I NEVER take three minutes. I'm usually done in just over a minute.

4. Don't attack anyone personally, not the councillors, not the officers, not your opponents. Stick to the facts.

5. and not least - be polite.
 
oggbashan said:
Public participation on any local issue is likely to be in low numbers unless it affects people personally. Then you might get numbers involved for a short campaign. Most such campaigns are more noise than substance.

Speaking in public at a local government event is an acquired art. Locally we are restricted to a maximum of three minutes per speaker. For most speakers it is their first and last time ever. The best have written out their speech, practised and timed it.

I have been speaking to councillors at public meetings for five decades. My personal rules:

1. Only THREE points in the speech. The councillors won't remember more by the time everyone has spoken.

2. Be relevant and refer to the laws or regulations. 'I/we don't like it' is not a valid argument.

3. Be brief. I NEVER take three minutes. I'm usually done in just over a minute.

4. Don't attack anyone personally, not the councillors, not the officers, not your opponents. Stick to the facts.

5. and not least - be polite.
Click to expand...

Good points all.

Last night, realizing I was out of my element, I was as formal, respectful, and polite as I could be. But I wasn't accepting excuses. I'm definitely not alone on that in this particular matter. Fortunately, there were several present who realized my predicament and pulled me aside briefly to calm me down. So, I excused myself respectfully and left the building.

A good friend followed me out - actually kind of guiding me out. He was concerned I may have an anxiety or heart attack. I was struggling mightily w/my own self control. It utterly amazed me when several showed at my door just before bed time. They said they needed a voice such as mine and to consider it.

It's just not my thing. I'll give it some thought before rushing into anything. The singular question I must ask myself is "Am I willing to choose such a battle that has far greater implications and consequences for people other than myself?"
 
Politics is my passion. I keep my eye on Trump and the news, plus obsess over significant historical events. Most of what happens is nonsense. Things are rarely what they seem.
 
After careful thought and consideration, I've decided to follow through. I've drawn 1st blood as a singular voice, now I have to unite w/others as a team.

This means I have to change my thinking. Adapt for the greater good. Make sacrifices. <<<<<This last part is gonna suck.

I'm moving from I AM! to WE ARE!.

Thank you. I have been humbled. It's the least I could do.

We have engaged the enemy and they are ours!
 
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Captainnumnuts said:
Though the meeting was open to the public, I was amazed at how few were there. Apparently, the vast majority of so-called 'loyal citizens' care very little about their own town. Either uninformed or choose to remain silent.
Click to expand...
Was the meeting widely announced? Are town meetings covered in the media consumed in your locale? There have been studies, oh yes, showing that populations who don't receive news of their community don't feel connected, don't feel 'local', don't really identify or care.

Media consolidation has orphaned many local news sources, as Carl Hiaasen noted in several novels and many columns. When a budget-tight editor only assigns a reporter to cover politics sporadically, town and county councils often schedule their meetings for when they know nobody will be around, watching. Life is easier for them that way. They get lots of shit done. Ouch.

I've seen town meetings on hot-button issues: sewage, schools, disruptive developments, border policy (in a border town). When people are informed and energized, those meetings rock. When none outside the admin building knows it's happening, the council does whatever the fuck they want.

Politics in my rural (R) county is dominated by Good Old Boys (GOBs) of old landowning families on the board of supes. They don't hold many public events. My district's feisty outsider holds well-posted meetings, energizes citizens, reaches popular goals, and gets a huge vote. The GOB supes hate her... but elected her chair, because she accomplishes stuff and they don't. She makes the supes look good. Go figure.
 
Last edited:
Hypoxia said:
Was the meeting widely announced? Are town meeting covered in the media consumed in your locale? There have been studies, oh yes, showing that populations who don't receive news of their community don't feel connected, don't feel 'local', don't really identify or care.

...
Click to expand...

I have found that the meetings that really matter are not the full council meetings. By the time an item gets there it is a rubber-stamp exercise and political posturing for the media and the public who attend.

When a proposal is first started it is considered by a small sub-committee usually meeting during the working day in a small room. Although technically open to the public very few outsiders actually attend except campaigners like me. Or rather - as I used to and did for over forty years.

I am effectively retired from campaigning because my hearing is failing. If asked I will speak on behalf of others at a large council meeting. Some people get very nervous when addressing a full council chamber with a couple of hundred people present. Many local people know I'm willing to speak on any issue - if asked, so I do. But I can't always hear the councillors' responses. That is frustrating...
 
I have it from a trusted, reliable source....The OP did indeed succeed in his sidewalk quest to put one in front of the elementary school in question.


He simply waltzed into a closed door meeting of unfamiliar people - unaccompanied. Then became very respectful as he went on to announce his cause.


The very next Saturday, he proceeded on his promise to "do it without them" and began shoveling dirt for the foundation of said sidewalk. As he began at the break of dawn, volunteers showed up with an array of tools to assist. Even concrete mix and water was available to all concerned.


Police, one, happened along and made a call to his superior. The people present were asked to leave as nicely as possible. The OP refused to leave until he was assured that particular stretch of sidewalk was tended to for the sake of the children, parents, and elderly alike.


On the following Monday, 2 days later, city workers arrived and finished the job in ONE day.


The OP's objective accomplished, he let it be and a sidewalk committee was formed addressing sidewalks of the small town. His foray into politics was over.
 
Incidentally, he was asked to run for city council in his small town. He's moved on.

Before his departure, he was instrumental in forming a 2nd neighborhood watch program. Contrary to his established habits, he did not seek attention for himself. HIS watch program assisted greatly in augmenting and boosting manpower to the local police on the condition a qualified woman be included somewhere in that endeavor.

Still having a crappy old house he managed to restore fairly nicely in said town; he's negotiating with the tenants on that endeavor. He's found them a better home of equal value and rental payment more suitable to their situation.

He may soon be back and has resumed talks with the local council members. A veteran's memorial is also in the works.:)
 
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