Periodically, I go back and reread my old blogs and Facebook posts.
A little time lets me see them through the lens of greater experience, both as a writer and a watchdog, and I can evaluate whether there are things I could have done better in both respects.
One thing that struck me during my latest evaluation is my consistent tendency to refer to the Mayor and Council as "elected officials." That made me think. When we talk about elected officials at the state and federal levels, we frequently refer to them as "politicians."
That word has some stink on it, deservedly so. But, we rarely pin it, or its unsavory implications, on elected officials in the local government. Why is that?
Are the elected officials in cities and counties really so different from state and federal officials? I've been a local watchdog for three years now, run for local office a few times myself, and helped candidates at the state and federal levels. I can tell you that answer is a resounding NO.
When many people talk about "politics," they're talking about partisan politics. While elected offices in Sugar Hill and a lot of other places are technically non-partisan, people don't check their values at the door, nor should they. But, that introduces an element of partisan politics to the actions of that government entity. In reality, there is no such thing as a non-partisan elected office. We need to recognize that.
But, most politics in government, especially at the local level, are personal. The same kind of politics you see in high school and workplaces.
Since I've been doing this, I've seen:
- A pastor endorsing someone for office.
- Candidates/officials seek and obtain endorsements from more popular politicians whose values they don't actually seem to share.
- Elected officials endorse candidates for the government where they currently hold a seat themselves.
- Elected officials endorse candidates for county, state, and federal offices with whom they must work.
- Elected officials aggressively endorse judicial candidates for courts that would hear certain cases involving the City.
- People overpublicize unrelated charity work as a campaign plank.
- Elected officials fawn over politicians at higher levels whenever the opportunity presents itself.
- Elected officials actively create opportunities to fawn over politicians at higher levels when the opportunities are not presenting themselves.
- Refusal to take clear stands on issues to avoid controversy.
Some of those things are just worthy of a little side-eye. Some things are a downright conflict of interest. They are all examples of personal politics.
Are personal politics any better than partisan politics? NO. They're worse. At least partisan politics occasionally have some small semblance of working for something bigger than yourself. Personal politics are all about personal benefits.
For that reason, from here on out, I will not hesitate to refer to elected officials in local government as POLITICIANS.
They've more than earned that label.