It’s the little things
Local politics and grassroots action can do more than you think.
In the past weeks and months, our country and our news outlets have focused almost obsessively on the national elections that will take place in November — specifically, on the presidential race. There’s no doubt that the outcome of that race will make a significant statement about our country’s values and how we plan to tackle significant issues in the next four years. We’ve been lucky enough to have a White House adviser and a Presidential speechwriter join our Ideas in Action community! However, there is a significant oversight happening in all the political fervor.
Local elections don’t generate a lot of publicity, but they have more power than many people realize.
For example, on November 8th, Bostonians will cast votes for nearly a dozen state and municipal offices, in addition to the office of President. They’ll also vote on four ballot questions, all of which are directly related to issues voters care about on a national level.
Let’s look at one question in particular as an example of how local activism is often more pertinent to our everyday lives than a national vote. Question number two on the Massachusetts ballot is about K-12 education. We had a powerful talk on education last year by Kandice Sumner, a BPS teacher.
Ballot Question Two is about charter schools, which have been the subject of a national debate. Should Massachusetts allow a dozen new charters to open? The question is inextricably wound up with debates on tax policy, race relations, union power, and other nationally divisive issues. However, like many of the policies related to these issues, charter budgets and permits are regulated by state and municipal bodies, not federal ones.
Both presidential candidates have taken positions on K-12 education. Hillary Clinton plans to modernize both schools and the teaching profession; Donald Trump supports school choice.
But decisions about opening and closing schools, hiring teachers, and funding technology investments, extracurriculars, and special education programs are made by the Boston City Council, a 13-member body elected every two years by the city. They can pass laws, approve loan orders, and approve the city budget — which includes the school budget.
The state receives grants from the federal government, which it channels to individual districts and programs. Sometimes those programs are stipulated by the grant, but ultimately the distribution of funds happens locally. It has to; there are more than 14,000 school districts in the U.S., far too many to centrally administer.
This same disparate framework applies to other issues, such as regulating police behavior. There is a national call for police to wear body cameras, so they will be more accountable for their actions on patrol.
But while the White House has announced that “we support the use of cameras and video technology by law enforcement officers,” local government went further. One hundred Boston police officers have been selected to join a mandatory body camera pilot program, which will be studied by faculty at Northeastern University. The half million dollar program is funded by the city of Boston, not the federal government.
As in so many policy areas, the real change was undertaken by local officials, barely noticed by the city’s population.
Many Americans don’t follow their local elected officials the way they follow presidential candidates, even ones unlikely to win. In succumbing to this oversight, we miss a huge opportunity to create change.
In 2012, 91% of Congressional representatives were reelected, even though Congress’ approval rating was below 10%. Instead of delivering a message by voting the unsatisfying representatives out of office, the public displayed an apathy toward state elections that didn’t do anything to change the behavior of their government. Polls showed that only 15.9% of eligible voters turned out for the 2012 state primaries, compared to 57.5% for the national election. This happened despite the fact that Congress, which writes the laws, levies taxes, authorizes the borrowing of money, declares war, and regulates commerce, has more power than the President.
Many of our Speakers have recognized the value of local movements, and have begun to capitalize on the power for change that they represent. Joe Kennedy is one of our 2016 Speakers and a Congressman for Massachusetts’ 4th District. He’s gone around to all 34 towns and cities in his district, trying to assess the concerns of citizens. Joe’s understanding of local politics and the value of his community has helped make him a successful Congressman, even at a relatively young age.
Liam Kerr, co-chair of the No Boston Olympics committee, gave a talk in 2015 about his successful campaign against hosting the 2024 Summer Games in the city. It was a local movement that started the idea to host the Olympics, and another local movement that ended the bid. No Boston Olympics balanced the gains in international prestige with questions about infrastructure costs, housing rights, and other local concerns that impact the daily lives of Boston citizens, and found that the local issues mattered more to people. Liam’s efforts to mobilize the city through meetings, protests, and education resulted in a successful campaign.
Charles McKinney, Principal Urban Designer for New York City Parks, will give a talk in November 2016 about community-based leadership in the parks system. He allowed citizens to own the design and upkeep of several city parks, and in doing so sparked a trend of local involvement that kept the parks active and beautiful. His work has a huge impact on the way New Yorkers interact with their city every day.
Pitichoke Chulapamornsri will speak about municipal bonds. Before your eyes glaze over, you should know that municipal bonds are a significant part of the city’s budget, which means that bonds and their cost have a direct affect on how much money the city has to spend on things like transportation, education, housing loans, snow removal, and other improvements. If we could reorganize the budget the way Pitichoke envisions…well, fixing the T might be a bit of a stretch, but we could certainly start!
Many of our speakers talk about problems that impact the whole country or the whole world, like climate change, discrimination and civil rights, education, and the freedom they found in pursuing their dreams. We don’t often appreciate how the solutions to many of these problems are closer to us than we realize. Active civic participation, like Joe Goodwin advocated for on our stage last year, can make a huge difference.
To start, listen to some of our speakers. Show up for local elections. Know who your Congressional representatives are. Visit your city parks and other public spaces and find out how you can contribute to the resources available in your city. Pay attention to local movements or campaigns and make sure your elected officials know that you’re watching what they do to support the community. Even a phone call can help. Sometimes, it’s the little things.
