Just because you get older, you don’t get an automatic membership in the “power elite.” In fact, at times it seems like the “connected” people in town just keep getting older ahead of you. Many times, I’m still the youngest person in the room! As I work to engage in my town, I’m learning and re-learning a lot of general principles that are as true for a 20-year old as they are for a 40-year old.
I’ve been trying to get involved in my town government for nearly a year. I attended a town meeting and a meeting of our Economic Developent Advisory Board. I met with our town’s Economic Development Officer a few months ago and our Town Administrator last night. We talked about the many citizen boards and commissions with volunteer, appointed members. But when I asked what they needed help with, he mentioned a brand new board that is being formed to set up a cable access nonprofit. I volunteered to help out and plan to be a member of the board that will meet for the first time next month.
I haven’t even formally been made a member of this board yet, but I wanted to share my perspective on how and why I’m getting excited about this, as opposed to trying to angle my way into a position on the EDAB or planning commission or some other role that (if you read my blog posts about economic development) you might think I’d be itching to sign up for. I don’t have some master plan…but I’m following these principles:
1. Help where you are needed.
When I was 25, I was elected as an alternate delegate to the 1992 Democratic National Convention. (Long story here) The reason I was able to get “a seat at the table,” despite my lack of years of party involvement or any seniority was largely because I stepped in and organized a campaign that everyone else had given up on. I created a role for myself out of nothing. I found other people who shared my enthusiasm and showed up at the small meetings and events all over the county and earned the respect of longtime participants by my willingness to help out wherever I could.
There are many situations where the role you think you want is the role everyone else wants—you don’t get that job without experience. But there are always other roles that need people to come in and do something. Make a name for yourself by helping out where you are needed and don’t feel like just because the thing you are most interested in is “taken” you are excluded.
2. Make the time and bide your time
We are all busy. But it’s funny though how once we find something we love, we find a way to make the time to pursue it. When I was training for my marathon, I got up a 4am and ran 18 miles before going to work. It was the only time I could find and because I knew I had to put in those hours, I found a way to drag myself out of bed and just do it. But don’t waste your time waiting for the perfect opportunity either. The important thing is to find something you can contribute and be excited about and just get started doing it.
I don’t have time. I commute 1 hour each way to Boston. I have two toddlers ages 3 and 2 and a 3rd on the way. But I can find an hour here and there and I do it. If I’m going to put more time into this town, I know that I can continue to write about stuff here on this blog at 3am, but I can’t waste time sitting in meetings where I’m not a principal… however, this new cable access project will require actually helping move the town forward and will have real results. I think my time there can matter.
3. Develop a genuine interest in people and make an effort to get “out there”
I wasn’t getting anywhere just blogging about my town and reading books. So I looked for stuff to join. I learned of a running group and started showing up every Saturday morning to run with those guys. My wife joined a service club and we went to their events where I made an effort to meet people, including a guy who is on our town’s Finance Committee. We joined the local Unitarian Church—and, fortuitously, a brand new minister was just starting and we were able to attend a “ministerial start-up workshop” where we learned about the history of the church and met the “old timers.” I felt like we got so much more out of that than we would have from simply attending Sunday services…and as we met people, we learned of more and more stuff to do. Perhaps this is all so obvious to the extroverts out there, but when you stop trying to plan and just start putting yourself in situations where you meet people in a low pressure environment, your options expand.
4. Be authentic
What I am doing is not a cookbook or Machiavellian plan to seize power in my town…I wouldn’t be able to sustain the interest otherwise. It is hard enough to put yourself out there meeting new people without also trying to be something you’re not. I’ve found that most of my fears about looking naive or dumb don’t matter. It’s more important to just get out there and do something. Sometimes, it goes nowhere and you lose interest. Other times, you discover opportunities you would have missed out on otherwise. We often limit ourselves by what we imagine is going on when the reality is life is constantly changing and if you forget somebody’s name…well, they will forgive you. So just keep going.
5. Follow through
Getting back to item #1 above, it’s important to find a substantive role. They don’t need another opinion on whether Westwood Station is a good idea or not. Town Meeting generates hundreds of impassioned people on both sides of the issue and its all the town can do to navigate through it. But when you find something you can make a difference in by actually doing something, make sure you do it. Demonstrate your value quickly and people will look to you to play a greater role.
So now I’m thinking about what we could do with that public access television…I know—it’s kind of an “old media” idea. But I think, at least in this town, getting people excited about watching their kids televised soccer games is more likely to be a vehicle for engagement for me than trying to preach the virtues of starting a town wiki, facebook group, or myspace page. Perhaps, in time. But that’s not what they need right now. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes…