New city council and school board members are being sworn in across The Hutchinson Tribune’s coverage area this month. After Election Day, we congratulated the winners and thanked those leaving office for their service to the residents of Reno County. Today, we share our hopes for those beginning their terms of office, along with some words of wisdom for all public officials.
Our greatest hope is that all new public officials receive a warm welcome from the current members of the governing boards to which they are now serving. Team building takes time, but a warm welcome is a positive first step towards that. We hope that the more senior members of all the governing boards throughout the county will make an effort to mentor the new members and show them the ropes of how their respective governing boards operate. We hope that members of all these governing bodies take the time to develop personal relationships with each other and not just interact during public meetings and workshops.
New members, we encourage you to remember why you ran for office in the first place and the issues that the voters have entrusted you to address, not only during your first year of office, but the entirety of your term. New voices are needed to drive innovation and find creative solutions to the issues facing not just individual jurisdictions but the entire area. Don’t be afraid to make your voice heard or ask questions, because remaining silent only allows the status quo to continue. For everyone to move forward, the status quo has to slowly fade into yesteryear. Don’t look back four years from now and wish you had spoken up or asked questions during your first year or ever. Dare to be the one in the arena. Your courage could spark change that makes our corner of the world a better place to live and work.
To all public officials, we urge you to treat one another with respect and dignity even when vast differences of opinion arise on issues. Agree to disagree with civility and class. Show your constituents that their elected officials are class acts and work together to find solutions to problems, even if that requires compromise at times. We understand that at times debates will get heated and emotions will run high, but we hope that cooler heads will prevail and that civil discourse will be a hallmark of all governing bodies. Passion is a great thing in our elected officials, but don’t let passion trump common sense and treating each other with respect.
Don’t let your organizations mirror the dysfunction typical of Washington, D.C., and interfere with doing what’s best for your constituents. The issues that matter most to residents are often best resolved on the county, city, and school board level, because the farther you get from the local level, the greater the disconnect becomes.
Lawmakers in D.C. and most lawmakers in Topeka don’t know how things work here, nor do they particularly care unless they stand to gain something from it. Make your governing bodies the epitome of good government. Show that people on both sides of an issue can come together to find common ground and common-sense solutions.
Finally, we encourage you to be as honest, open, and transparent as possible at all times. Our staff will be at meetings, and we encourage you to keep executive sessions to a minimum. Our staff is willing to have off-the-record conversations with you, but we ask that you be willing to go on the record whenever possible in return. Take time to get to know our staff, and our staff will do the same with you.
This is a critical year for all of The Tribune’s coverage area, and it’s going to take elected officials working together to find solutions instead of kicking the proverbial can down the road for future elected officials to resolve. Do your best to put the greater good ahead of the good for just a few this year. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box to find solutions. We’ll be watching and reporting.
The Hutchinson Tribune Editorial Board