From Michael Hendrix at RealClearPolicy:
Americans trust their local governments because they are tasked with doing things we want: keeping us safe, educating our children, cleaning the streets. And while we have some say in who our nationally elected leaders are and what they do, it is hardly the sort of choice offered by our nearly 36,000 local governments. At the local level, we may vote with our feet as well as our ballots.
It is time we gave local a chance once again. The people and places closest to us are where we tend to direct our care and our energy; they should enjoy the authority necessary for diverse citizens to pursue flourishing lives together. In the 21st century, localism should be the rallying cry for those who believe in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
I would add that excessive focus on what goes on in Washington infantilizes local governments, turns them into clients of the federal government. Local voters need to keep their eyes on the ball which is firmly in the court of local government. Otherwise what happens is, well, what has happened in Chicago and Illinois. That isn’t an argument for centralized government. It’s the consequence of centralized government.
Good luck. This would require a major cultural change. When we used to go to school board meetings the only time we would see other parents was when they had sports related issues on the agenda.
Steve
I’m skeptical as well. I’ve always been involved in my local communities and local/state government. Outside of a few areas (taxes, roads, sometimes schools), most people don’t seem that involved.
I was surprised by steve and Andy’s comments. In Naperville people were very active. Naples even more so, although its probably not a good sampling: too many retirees with too much time on their hands. Not enough experience in Asheville.
Its the usual topics: schools, schools, schools, roads, zoning, local taxes, and then of course schools. In Naples they fight about what kind of palm trees should go in the medians. Oy.
There was a lot of controversy about a local quarry. The town meetings were full for a year over that. Once resolved people stopped going again. However, I think Drew is right about those Florida towns with lots of old folks. They get out and go to meetings. They dont want anyone taking anything away from them. If you want to start a war in Florida suggest that they lower the age for vision testing below the age of 80.
Steve
In my experience, most people simply aren’t as exposed to local issues as they used to be. Newspapers have been replaced by Facebook and Nextdoor and those aren’t great substitutions. Most media/press reporting is nationalized. So people get involved in the stuff they actual experience – roads, schools, crime and a few other things. Here the big controversy that’s generating a lot of input is that someone plans to build a half-way house nearby. Naturally, there is a lot of NIMYism.
That’s exactly my point. There’s practically no local reporting any more—it was replaced by the wire services long ago. More recently it’s been replaced with what amounts to gossip.
The real incompetence in Illinois can be timed from the rise of the Internet. That allowed state and local politicians to avoid scrutiny.