If you’re a parent, you should care about local politics, and maybe even get involved. I’m going to talk about why your local city elections matter, why you need to stay informed on local politics, and why you should run for local office – it’s easier than you think.
I’m Steven, I’m a dad with two young kids, and I’m constantly thinking about the overlap of parenting and politics. I want to raise good human beings in a world that’s chaotic, angry, and divisive. That’s why I think your involvement in city elections and politics matters – especially if you’re a parent.
Why City Elections Matter
City elections matter, in some ways even more than presidential elections. But a lot less than voting for what to eat for dinner. That could cause a family civil war.
Your quality of life and the things you really care about starts with your city. It’s easy to rage about stuff that’s happening around the country. It’s harder to stay caught up on what your mayor and council members are doing.
We know the names of DC politicians and what they’re doing wrong. But we aren’t really sure who’s responsible for fixing that pothole on our street.
Do you care about crime and safety? Your city determines the police budget, number of officers, and how they carry out police work.
Worried about housing affordability? Your city determines zoning laws and what house can be built where.
The cost of food? Again, city zoning can attract more affordable grocery options, or not.
Do you want a better community for your kids to grow up in? Your city controls the budget and projects for streets, parks, libraries, museums, green spaces and recreational areas.
If driving through sections of town feels like real-life Mario Kart track, and not in a fun way, that’s the city.
Yes, state and national politics are important, and they do influence a lot of the stuff I mentioned. But I think we use that as an excuse for not caring about local politics. Pay attention to who’s running your city and how they’re spending your tax money. It has a direct impact on you and your kids.
You know that one person in the family that says, “I don’t care, you pick what’s for dinner.” And then they complain about what’s for dinner. That’s what happens with city politics.
That’s why it’s so important to stay informed on local politics.
Stay Informed on Local Politics
As parents, we need to know what’s going down in our city. No, I’m not talking about where the drug deals happen… or maybe I am?
But has a street sign or construction project popped up in your city and you think, well that’s stupid, why did they do that? Or you see a random toilet on the sidewalk or a broken slide at the playground and wonder, when will they ever fix that? And yes, I’ve seen both those things. That’s because a lot of stuff goes down in city government without the public ever knowing.
I recently went to a public city forum, and more than 2/3 of the people attending were over 60 years old. God bless them for showing up and caring about their city. But we needed more millennial parents to be there because they need to hear who’s making the decisions in their city. And I get it, we’re busy. I’ve got 2 kids in sports right now and there’s just no margin.
At this forum, some candidates had great answers. Some had bad answers. And some had crazy weird wtf answers. One audience member even shouted at the person, “Are you drunk?” We were all thinking it. But you would never know that unless you heard them talk, and you can’t tell from just their websites.
How many of us have looked at a city election ballot and just checked off random names or familiar names without know anything about that person? It’s like showing up to a multiple choice test that we haven’t studied for at all because we stayed up late binging Netflix.
That’s how bad leaders stay in power. I know it’s hard, but when you can show up to local forums and debates. Your city, and your kids, depend on it. And if you realize the people in power are cutting it…
Run for Local Office
You should run for local office – it’s easier than you think. I used to believe you had to be pretty smart and qualified to be in elected office. But then you look at some of our elected officials and you realize that anybody can be in office. Like literally anyone. The bar’s pretty low.
And it’s true all the way to local city office.
My city has an election coming up for mayor and city council members. There were only 3 candidates. One was crazy. Like the person that rants on the Nextdoor app crazy. So really there’s only 2 candidates – the current guy and the new guy. That’s it. Of our city of 85,000ish people, why do we only have 2 people to choose from? It was the same for my city council district, there were only 3 candidates.
It’s easier to find volunteers for assistant coach and team mom on my kids’ soccer team – and you all know how hard that is.
So if you live in a small to mid-sized city, you can and should run for local office, regardless of your experience. Because we’re in short supply of people who actually care enough about the community their kids grow up in to make good choices in government.
And you’d have a pretty good chance of winning. Because if you’ve ever coordinated a snack list for your kids sports team, you’re over qualified.
I used to be the person that would just show on election day, check off the names I knew I wanted to vote for, and randomly select names I didn’t know anything about. You’ve probably done the same thing before.
But I’ve recently started to realize how important it is to stay informed and get involved in local politics. Especially as a parent, city officials are shaping the environment my kids grow up in, and I need to have a stronger voice in those decisions and advocate for my kids. I hope you do too.
If you’re a parent, I’d love to hear your take on this. Share with me in the comments. And if want to watch more videos this, subscribe to the channel, and let me know if there are topics or questions you’ve been thinking about.