Local Government is Not a Spectator Sport

[This is as good a time as any to remind both existing and prospective readers that you can selectively filter out blog posts that bore you to tears by subscribing to only those 'categories' that interest you. To subscribe to a particular subfeed of this blog, simply copy the shortcut underlying a category's “(RSS)“ link on the right side of my blog page and paste into your favorite news reader/aggregator. My favorite is SharpReader .]

If anything in the universe should be transparent, it is the work (or lack thereof) of local government. In the US, these include cities/towns, counties, port authorities, and other elected legislative officials and entities. 

If you were bored or intrigued ;-) enough to tune in to the live Web cast of the City of Redmond, Washington's Planning Commission (PC) tonight, or any other Wednesday between 7PM-10PM PST, I personally apologize for the lack of online exhibits. Most of the documents that we refer to during meetings ARE generally available in hard copy format at the Redmond City Council chambers where we meet.  If I have anything to say about it, most of these documents will soon be available online during the Webcast.

I have served as a volunteer member of Redmond's Planning Commission, which advises the Redmond City Council and Mayor on munincipal planning issues, for the last six months.  I am continually surprised by the counter-intuitively huge role that local government plays in the life of an average resident.  Like most folks, I grew up thinking that my federal government, which has ultimate authority in so many areas, is much more important than my local government.  The full extent of my ignorance in this regard is only now becoming clear.

A competent mayor is just as and perhaps more valuable than a competent president on a day to day basis.  If you care enough to educate yourself about and vote in national elections in the United States (I can't speak for those of you in other participatory democracies) you should take a little time to acquaint yourself with your local government and elected officials so that you can participate in local elections.

Why do I think local government is so important? Here's one for you: the City of Kirkland, WA, which abuts Redmond to the west, recently mandated that residents on certain streets install sidewalks at their own expense and by a certain date on the street facing portions of their property... The average cost of these improvements was somewhere around U$45,000.  When was the last time you heard that a federal government agency was demanding that a single family residence worth $300,000 be upgraded by 45 grand?  Proaction trumps reaction in the formation of public policy.  Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Speaking of which, Dave Winer says that he is "shopping for a candidate" who would adopt his techno-campaign regime (meetups.com/blogging/etc) whole hog. I get the feeling Dave does not do anything ala carte.  Dave thinks that he is more likely to find his perfect candidate at the local level and he's probably right.