08/11/2016
My Time as Junior Trustee
Henry Stark
Imagine if you have a pressing issue that demands immediate attention. You look around for someone to listen to you, but no one cares to hear you out. This is what government does to normal citizens at the national and even state level. Through my time as a junior trustee I learned that small local government represents the most true form of democracy.
When a local citizen walks into a Wednesday night meeting in Richmond Township, they will be greeted with 7 friendly smiles and invitation to sit in one of the many, unfortunately, usually empty seats. The 4 trustees are always eager and willing to listen to any citizen’s concerns or issues. After being bombarded with media coverage of corrupt politicians, extreme partisanship, and gridlock politics, the monthly townships meetings were a great reminder of what democratic government should truly look like. Everyone acts professional, accomplished tasks (such as the tornado warning sirens), and produced little political gridlock.
As a junior trustee I learned the importance of local government. With an increased call to consolidate townships, I now realize this is a poor move. Do we really want to trust the state or county to plow our roads, maintain our roads, and assess our property? I don’t. With local government, most likely you will be speaking with someone that you know and actually cares to help you. With large government we lose the personal care that local government provides us with.
As a country we need to embrace local government and realize the importance of it. The pure democracy in local government is a beautiful thing to watch. I encourage all citizens to be involved in their local government.