Here in
Ontario, we are facing a municipal election this fall, and a provincial one
next fall, with a question of a federal election somewhere in there. Six years
ago, I saw a need and I decided to try to fill it: I realized that one of the
biggest problems in our society is that often people don't run for
election who are good, caring, peaceful, big picture thinkers, organizers and
communicators.
I've tried
hard to figure out why. I've heard many reasons why people don't offer
themselves for this type of community service, and I’ve been advised by some
people I look up to with very different perspectives to run, not run, run for
the top, don’t waste too much time. I’ve got to admit: they go through my head
sometimes too, most recently when trying to decide if I’ll run again (spoiler
alert: I decided to be a leader).
Here are the
negative thoughts that could go through your head if you think of running:
1) You can get
more done faster outside government & its bureaucracy, particularly when
you’re interested in a particular topic or like to run under the radar
2) ‘Politicians
are corrupt’: therefore, if you become one, people will think you are corrupt,
will treat you differently, or you’d be put in the position of not being able
to speak against things that seem wrong
3) Your views
can be broadcast wrong, with a bad spin, and rumours and gossip may fly
4) It’s a big
time commitment, particularly in areas where it’s not a full-time job
5) In
governments, almost always you have to start out being a follower of a leader
(mayor, premier, prime minister, etc.) who may not be someone you want to
support or work with, or even seem to support for the chance that you are
misleading the public who knows you
6) The
compromises needed to be effective in order to keep respect and the ability to
sway opinions can be unethical and unacceptable to you or the public
7) Once
elected, since the unspoken mandate is to get re-elected, every single thing
you do or don't do has dire consequences: you could lose the next election and
the ability to have a voice at the table
8) You're tied
into a system that has obvious flaws, can be misused, manipulated or just
screwed up
9) Your private
life for you and your family will be gone, because you’ll be stopped at the
grocery store, the beach, everywhere!
10)
The money is never what your time is worth: you could make more
money and get better results spending time doing other things instead, and
people will always argue that you get paid too much or that you should do more
since you’re paid to do it
11)
People will have unrealistic expectations and ask you to do things
you are either incapable of affecting or not the best use of your time
12)
You’re not sure who you’ll be elected with, so you don’t know how
difficult it will be to work with them or whether they share your values and
vision
13)
Unless the chairperson is acclaimed, it’s hard to know if things
will be run properly, with good procedures and policies
14)
People will be angry with you for things that don’t make sense,
and not value what you do
15)
You’ll have to learn about and deal with a lot of issues you are
not interested in or you don’t have the same priorities as your fellows
16)
People assume that you’re in politics for an ulterior motive of
some sort: money, power, greed, control!
17)
The staff members own culture and direction will affect your
ability to create change
18)
It’s hard to balance out being a leader, being persistent in what
you think is best, and allowing democratic processes to work effectively
19)
Politics is frustrating, slow, mundane, pervasive, and sometimes
even boring!
20)
Being a leader is like herding cats!
But, there are also strong positives!
1)
You are looked up to in your community as
someone who is willing to sacrifice their personal life for the good of the
community
2)
You have the ability to put forward ideas that
can create positive change
3)
There is an opportunity to work with like-minded
people as well as a diversity of opinions
4)
Your civic responsibility to your community
would be met in spades
5)
Your community will have a voice through you
6)
You can make influential decisions on things
that matter
7)
Once elected, you are part of a culture of
politicians that accords at least some respect to you around the world
8)
Problems can be resolved by sharing your
knowledge, expertise, and using your connections
9)
Issues you care about can be addressed by being
put on the table by you
10)
You can tie the threads together and help
present the big picture
11)
Being elected can give you a stronger voice at
other levels of government and in other places, like the corporate world
12)
Future generations will thank you for looking
after their interests, especially when you address climate change
But, the biggest consideration of all is: who will be
leading when people like you who care don’t run for election? Are you willing
to risk your kids and grandkids’ future?