Getting elected is the 'easy' part

Today was the deadline to file nomination papers for the municipal elections to be held in November. In Le Mars and communities all across the state, citizens will be electing mayors and members of city councils.

I am a firm believer that for our participatory democracy to work, we all need to play our part. In an ideal world, every resident of a community would serve at least one term in elected office to see what life is like on the other side of the fence.

Before we moved to Le Mars, I was elected to three terms on the city council of the small community where we lived. I completed two of the terms, and resigned midway through my third term to move to Le Mars.

Local government, from school board to city council, plays a vital role in the daily lives of the citizens of a community. The majority of tax dollars most property owners pay are paid to the city and the school. But as important as these jobs are, many residents would not even consider serving because of the "nuts and bolts" attached to the job.

Let me explain.

In my little town, I decided to run for elected office because there were vacancies and when I received a knock on the door from someone seeking one of the seats on the council, asking me to sign his nomination papers, I decided that I could not allow this person to be elected.

Petty? Yes.

Did I sign his nomination papers? Absolutely. Anyone who has the gumption to seek elected office, no matter what their motivation for doing so, deserves their chance to be on the ballot. Then it's up to the voters.

Trust me, it's not a glamourous job. I learned this before I was even on the ballot. In my small town, I went door-to-door to secure signatures to be on the ballot, explaining why I was running and that by signing my papers, they were only agreeing that I should be on the ballot. They could vote against me in November if they wished (and I'm sure some did.)

During this process, people let me know, in no uncertain terms, what they thought was wrong with our community and what needed to be done to make things better. It wasn't unheard of to speak with neighbors that thought the polar opposite of each other.

But I listened, and told them how I felt about their concerns. This one-on-one campaigning is the best way to learn what your constituents expect, and to tell them where you stand on the issue. In a community the size of Le Mars, even being divided into wards, this would be much more difficult.

I believe that ever since people began living in communities, the concerns have basically been the same. Property rights, animals, sanitation, transportation and taxation. Any way you dress them up, it pretty much all boils down to one of these five items.

Twenty years ago when I was seeking office, people complained about dogs and cats running loose, the condition of the streets and the quality of the water. They also made it abundantly clear that they wanted these things to improve, but did not want to pay any more property taxes because they were already being taxed too much.

Sound familiar, mayors and city council members?

Well, I got elected, and beat the fellow that motivated me to run. I figured the answers to the problems were pretty straightforward. I thought that many of the concerns I had heard could be addressed in a few months.

Then I attended my first council meeting.

I quickly learned that governing, even on a small scale, is all about reaching that elusive thing known as consensus. You could have the best idea ever, but unless someone will second the motion and you could get at least half of your other members to vote for your idea, you were dead in the water.

I think that's what is missing from state and national politics today. We seem to be more concerned with making points than getting things done.

To all the candidates, I wish you well. Your spouses have my sympathy for the angry phone calls they will get to field. Thank you for your service, and good luck in November.

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@lemarscomm.net, telephone 712-546-7031, x40 or toll free 1-800-728-0066 x40.

Thanks for reading, I'll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.