You marked your ballots, the elections are over and now it’s time for our new representatives to fulfill their campaign promises. How can you and I, as constituents, help our elected officials be the best they can be?
It’s not an easy task being a school board trustee, a city councillor or a member of the legislative assembly (MLA). It takes a lot of time to prepare for the meetings; the agendas are mind-blowingly large. Responsible elected officials will not only read the agenda, they will research the material so they can make better decisions when it comes time to vote. Alas, some of our representatives do the minimum and don’t do their homework before they vote aye or nay.
The time commitment is enormous because it’s not just the televised meetings they must attend, there are hours of committee meetings where important decisions must be made.
Elected representatives need to be representative of their community so they need to listen to all sorts of people, not just their buddies. MLAs often have staff to assist constituents with their problems and listen to their ideas about what should be decided in Regina. People who serve on municipal councils or school boards usually operate without staff except for the support of their family. My husband was a school board trustee for several years and I remember taking many phone messages for him. Fortunately, most people are polite.
That brings up another issues … harassment. Some people think it is okay to call their elected representative and give them an earful about perceived shortcomings. Studies show that women in politics are more frequently harassed than their male counterparts. So if you get into politics, you have to be able to take the heat. We shouldn’t accept harassment as “just part of the job” but it is a reality of which candidates need to be aware.
What do we expect from our elected officials? We expect them to work hard and be knowledgeable about the issues. They might send out emails about upcoming issues, such as Tara Lennox-Zepp did while she served on city council. They might hold ward meetings such as Dawn Kilmer and other councillors have done. They might be approachable and actually listen when they meet people in public. I recall how time-consuming it was for Barb Gustafson to get groceries at Safeway because she was approached by constituents in almost every aisle.
We want our elected officials to listen to us and represent us, rather than “tilting at windmills” and focusing only on personal agendas.
Most of all, we want our elected officials to serve us… to see themselves as servants of the people, rather than as persons of power. We have seen how one MLA misused his influence and charged inflated hotel rates for Social Services recipients.
It’s not easy to serve the people as an elected official because, first thing, not all of them voted for you! It’s a lot of hard work, there is little glory in it and plenty of criticism. I recall a candidate who did so much stress eating during her campaign that by election day she had only one dress that still fit her.
What can you and I do to make sure we have elected officials who will focus on service rather than power? The first step was getting out to vote, of course, but now the work begins. You can assist by continuing to support your elected officials. Make them aware of issues, in a considerate way. Tell them when they are getting things right, rather than only contacting them when they fail you. Volunteer to assist with activities such as a community cleanup. By participating and being supportive you can help your elected representatives to better serve our community.