(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.)
First off, my sincere admiration to everyone who had the interest and the courage to put their names on the ballot during the recent primary. Whether you were new to the process or seeking reelection, you joined a remarkably tiny percentage of the folks in your community who are willing to step up and handle often-unpleasant jobs that need to be done. I have no idea what motivated you or whether we’d agree about anything, but you’ve earned my respect.
This probably won’t surprise you, but I read election guides for fun. You can learn a lot about people and what matters to them. The Republican and the Hendricks County Community Foundation once again proved their commitment to the community with the guide you recently received. Most folks have no idea of the positive, growing impact both organizations have on the place you call home.
There were several candidates who made me sad, all for the very same reason. In their candidate statements and answers to interview questions, they made it obvious they had zero understanding of the positions they sought. Some even said things like “Well, I really don’t know what’s involved, but I’m sure I’ll learn quickly.”
Why in God’s name would you put yourself to all the work and stress of running for an office if you have no idea what’s involved? I’m not talking about knowing enough to write a book; I’m referring to what one can learn in an hour with Google and ChatGPT. Or, even better, in a single conversation with someone who’s already served in that role. Is that too much to ask? I’ve run against candidates who had never been to a board meeting. Weren’t they the least bit curious about what they might be doing? (One angrily told me he didn’t need to attend because “I know what really goes on in there!”)
I’ve had many of those conversations with prospective school board candidates from multiple communities. I’m happy to sit down with them because I’m trying to spare them some pain. You see, the vast majority of your neighbors (and maybe even you) know little about what their school board actually does. Most of what they believe about the school board and its role is incorrect. Most think about running because of an issue or cause they deem especially important, and I always have to break it to them that if they get elected, they’ll have no authority to do anything about that issue or cause.
Pay attention, and you’ll see that many of the most vociferous candidates who get elected to local offices end up serving just one term. Why? They go into their roles with big ambitions and quickly discover they can’t do anything about them. They’ve promised people they’ll build that bypass, replace the basketball coach, or make the fire department use quieter sirens that won’t awaken you at 3:00 a.m. – and they’re going to disappoint all of them. I can see the chatter page now: “He said he’d replace that coach, but now he’s part of the clique and forgot who he works for!”
What’s even sadder is that by being elected for the role without understanding it, those candidates likely prevented someone more qualified, knowledgeable, and motivated – but not as aggressive – from serving.
So if you’re giving serious thought to running for office, and you aren’t curious and responsible enough to invest even an hour in learning what the job really entails, please do us both a favor and give up on the idea. You won’t end up in a job you’re going to hate. Even better, fewer of your neighbors will hate you for doing it.