The events of this week have clearly shown us two things.
1. People are tired of being blatantly dismissed. People are feeling disengaged, disempowered, and ignored.
2. There are elected officials who have personal agendas and what the residents want is not important to them. They have shown to have an alliance with individuals versus the community.
So what do we do about it? How do we get people engaged and ensure that ALL of our elected officials are held accountable?
First, you must start attending meetings. BOE, Council, Planning Board, Board of Adjustment, etc... This is how you know what is being planned for your community. Of course we understand that it is extremely difficult to attend all these meetings because, after all, we have this thing called life, however we must start to work together. I am sure each one of us has at least 4 friends. Each person take a meeting and report back to the others.
Make sure you are informed on who your respective council person is so that based on the reports you can email your councilperson with your thoughts.
Make sure you are informed on who your respective council person is so that based on the reports you can email your councilperson with your thoughts.
Secondly, we must educate ourselves about the candidates running for various positions. We obviously cannot afford to blindly elect people just because they are in the first column or just because they are our neighbor, or just because. We cannot afford to re-elect people simply because they are the incumbent. Having the position today does not mean you will be the best person for the job tomorrow. Know your candidates.
Now, knowing your candidate does not mean you may not end up supporting the “wrong” candidate. I am guilty of this. The person I supported turned out to be all the way wrong!! It’s okay though. Lesson learned. I certainly won’t vote for them next time.
Thirdly, thing we absolutely must do is actually vote. This is where our power lies. We literally have the power to hire and fire by pushing a button.
We have several officials up for re-election this year
Ward 2 Michael Cohen
Ward 4. Wayne Hamer
Ward 4. Wayne Hamer
Board of Ed (should they chose to run)
Think about what these candidates have done for you during the last three years?
- What changes have they supported in our city?
- What impact have they made? If you don’t know you have every right to reach out to them and ask. They are applying for a job and you are the hiring manager. How else would you know who is the best candidate without interviewing them?
Now, are you ready for change? Are you ready to make a difference? Are you ready to take back the power that rightfully belongs to you? You should be. It’s your life that’s being impacted.
It’s your child’s life being affected.
If you’re not ready, why not?
What will it take for you to get ready?
How can we help?
Amy Jones Bulluck
