Now You Will Be Sworn into Office
Today is the big day – the day you have worked so hard for – the day you will become a local elected official. So make it one you and your supporters will remember. Indeed, today is for those who worked so hard for you to be sworn into your office. Invite everyone to share in this happy event. Here are some tips to consider as you become an elected leader of your community.
Come Prepared
Before any meeting, whether small subcommittee, full meeting of the elected board, or a public hearing, do your homework first. That includes being up on topic(s) of the day so that you appear a competent and thoughtful leader. Faking it may work for a while, but soon it will expose you as a lightweight. So instead of just warming a chair, do the necessary research to be an effective advocate of your opinions.
Included is mental preparation. Before each meeting, eat a meal which emphasizes protein. Go light on carbohydrates so that you remain mentally alert for a long meeting, one that might go longer than you expect. Buttress it with a good night’s sleep. Take a catnap before the meeting if needed. When you are at your best, the public wins and so do you.
Attend Meetings
Effective members of elected bodies attend and participate in regular meetings. That applies to subcommittees, committees, and meetings of the entire board. By not attending appropriate meetings, you shortchange your community. Absences not only dishonor the trust voters placed in you, they leave you open to censure and possible expulsion, as a city councilwoman in Lynnwood, Washington found out.
Lynnwood City Councilwoman Kimberly Cole has been kicked off the city council for missing too many meetings.
The vote Tuesday to dismiss Cole was 6-1. Hers was the only dissenting vote. Cole was elected in 2009 to the position that pays $18,000 a year. Barring a challenge, Lynnwood will fill the position within 90 days, and there would be an election in 2013. Council President Loren Simmonds said Cole has missed at least 18 council meetings and work sessions this year. Councilmembers spent months trying to talk to Cole and work with her about the problem, but they felt they’d exhausted their options, Simons said. The council took action after Cole had three consecutive unexcused absences in recent weeks.
(Originally published September 26, 2012 at 8:11 AM - Lynnwood city councilwoman kicked off council
Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldnet.com)
Stay In Touch
Before the Internet, local candidates who won closed their campaigns after Election Day and rebuilt them as the next election cycle approached. They seldom communicated with supporters or the public at large until it was time to reach out as the next election loomed. With today’s connected culture, elected officials who ignore supporters and voters until the next election cycle may regret it.
So as you settle into your elected office, keep your campaign Website active, use social media or email core supporters to communicate about how your transition is going. Share what you have learned and your immediate plans now that you are in office. On the campaign trail you discovered that people appreciate being asked their opinions, so elicit suggestions from supporters regarding how you can be most effective in your new position. By letting your core supporters participate in your transition, you demonstrate that you value their ideas and will represent their wishes.
As important as it is to stay in touch with core supporters, you are wise to also send email blasts to those on your campaign email list. Augment with blog postings. Use social media as well. Let them know how your transition is going. Tell them what you have learned; what you expect; how you and your fellow elected officials get along. Keep communications positive and well thought out to avoid regrets.
Beware of Opportunists
Before you take office and even more so afterward, expect interest groups to approach you for favors. They may offer something in return for your support or action on their behalf. Assume that the request benefits the person or entity doing the asking, and be wary. Have your local government’s legal department brief you on accepted practices and then follow them to the letter.
Prepare to Take Your Seat
As you intend to be sworn in and take your seat on the dais as an elected official consider these points:
Get a Thick Skin Your opponent hurled critical comments at you and fired off disparaging statements about you during the campaign. Now that you are an elected public official, expect criticisms from your opponent’s supporters, future opponents, and individuals or special interests displeased with you during the campaign. So keep your standards high, and do not let them get you down!
Act As If On Stage The transition from private to public person can be hard. Now that you are in public office, you and your actions are under constant scrutiny. So stay mindful of what you do not only in your public life, but your private one as well. You never want a headline in the local newspaper to draw unwanted attention to you.
Show Up When Disaster Strikes While none of us wants natural disasters to strike, but when they do and it is safe to go outside, show up to lend your support for the victims. But do it with the local fire chief, public works manager, or disaster incident manager so as not to hinder their work. Your goal is to not only show that you care about the victims, but also to get a sense of the severity in preparation for advocating for state and federal aid.
Focus On Little Things Whether a full-or part-time mayor, a member of a city or county council, or a school district or special-purpose representative, you are wise to attend to little things that improve the community or assist people in need. Help paint the home of a disabled senior citizen; join others to clean up a neglected park; coordinate a group to cut lawns or shovel snow for senior citizens; participate in community events like serving Thanksgiving dinner at the local senior center. When you get involved, everyone wins. And as an elected official, you can spread the word by submitting a media release to the local newspaper highlighting your activities.
Lead Community Enhancements After coordinating with the parks department or the school superintendent about what is needed most, spearhead an effort to raise funds for play structures at a community park or school playground. Ask local service organizations like Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis to contribute. Suggest that a plaque crediting the organization as a donor be placed on or near the equipment. Another source for identifying areas needing help are community leaders in neighborhoods adjoining community parks. There is always an array of ideas from which to choose.
Speak Up Take every opportunity to speak at community events on important topics of the day. Invitations come from service clubs, chambers of commerce, and meetings or lunches held by local political parties. If you hold a partisan office, accept invitations only from your party. If your office is non-partisan, you are free to speak at both.
Attend Ceremonies Spread the word that you wish to attend local ceremonial events to get your name on all invitation lists. For example, be on the invitation list for the Rotary club’s annual dinner honoring its outgoing president. Attend Eagle Scouts awards ceremonies or ceremonial events at the local senior center. When you attend, both you and the organization win: It wins because your presence adds credibility to the event; you win just by showing up. Confirm ahead that they know the correct pronunciation of your name. Then when you are recognized, stand up. You are there to be recognized, so stand proud. Give an easy smile as you wave your hand to all. Always be mindful of how you appear at events and make every effort to be friendly and attentive to those around you. Wear your official name badge and always carry business cards. Get your name on every organization’s invitation list in your district by contacting them early in your first term. E. A. “Squatty” Lyons, Jr. did. As a legendary Harris County (Houston), Texas county commissioner for forty-eight years, Squatty showed up at ceremonial events of every kind from a conservative Polish lodge meeting to the dedication of a new Pacifica Radio antenna to replace the previous one which had been blown up by the Ku Klux Klan. Liberal or conservation, Squatty was at ease with everyone. Regardless of who held the event, if it was in his district he was there. So do as Squatty did. Attend as many ceremonial events as you can while in office. Let citizens see you performing the duties of an elected official, not just asking for their votes.
Get Along as Sid Did
What qualify for general discourse today are attacks on anyone who differs rather than attempts to find common ground. In political discourse, compromise, often viewed as a quaint relic of the past, has been replaced by criticisms of anyone who disagrees. The result: gridlock which leads to weighty decisions being made at the 12th hour by people in crisis mode which please neither side.
Throughout history, successful elected leaders led by inclusion, not exclusion. No one understood that more than the late former Washington State Senate Majority Leader Sid Snyder. As the tributes below attest, he was respected for it. So take a lesson from Sid.
“He didn’t see politics as a blood sport or winner-take-all. Everybody likes to win and get their way, but he also understood compromise is how civil societies get things done.”
_____________
Randy Hodgins, former staff coordinator for the Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee, of former Washington State Senator Sid Snyder (Seattle Times, pg. B 1, October 16, 2012)
“I appreciated being able to look at his method of leading and figured you don’t have to be nasty to lead. You can lead with great strength and lead with great conviction, but you don’t have to torch people in the minority.”
______________
Lynn Kessler, retired Majority Leader, Washington State House of Representatives
(Seattle Times, pg. B 6, October 16, 2012)
The Take Away
Each path traveled by a person who becomes an elected office holder is unique, so today your will change from being solely a citizen to accepting the mantle of responsibility as true leader of your community. Follow what you have read in this chapter a guide to help you prepare for and travel yours. All the best to you as you begin serving your community.
