Political Offices Shouldn't be Training Grounds for Higher Office
By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon
I sometimes think people run for office without fully knowing what the responsibilities of the office they seek are. I think some people like seeing their names on cardboard signs asking people for their votes. Once they get elected, it feels like those people are more interested in the authority and the prestige that comes with elected office.
Maybe they like sitting up on a perch in front of people and cameras. Maybe they like people knowing who they are. Maybe they just like having a reserved parking spot.
Unfortunately, many people who seek elected office fail to remember why they're there in the first place. They are there to serve the community. They are there to implement policies and procedures to move their city, their county, their navigation district, or their school board in the right direction. They are there to serve their constituents in the best way possible.
Other people use elected offices as a springboard, a stepping stone to a bigger, more powerful, more influential office.
Public service shouldn't be a line on a resume. People shouldn't run for something so they can gain experience to run for a higher office down the line. Politics shouldn't be a vanity exercise. If you don't care about helping the people who are going to vote for you, why do you bother running for the office in the first place?
Politicians shouldn't be proverbial dogs chasing cars — they should know what to do with the office if they're fortunate enough to win. They shouldn't be like the dog should he ever actually catch the car he's chasing...what would he do with it if he actually did catch it?
This election season, do your research and support candidates who seem to have a legitimate, vested interest in the office they are seeking. Don't vote for people who run for office simply because there's an election coming up.
People seeking office for reserved parking spots seldom make good public servants.
I sometimes think people run for office without fully knowing what the responsibilities of the office they seek are. I think some people like seeing their names on cardboard signs asking people for their votes. Once they get elected, it feels like those people are more interested in the authority and the prestige that comes with elected office.
Maybe they like sitting up on a perch in front of people and cameras. Maybe they like people knowing who they are. Maybe they just like having a reserved parking spot.
Unfortunately, many people who seek elected office fail to remember why they're there in the first place. They are there to serve the community. They are there to implement policies and procedures to move their city, their county, their navigation district, or their school board in the right direction. They are there to serve their constituents in the best way possible.
Other people use elected offices as a springboard, a stepping stone to a bigger, more powerful, more influential office.
Public service shouldn't be a line on a resume. People shouldn't run for something so they can gain experience to run for a higher office down the line. Politics shouldn't be a vanity exercise. If you don't care about helping the people who are going to vote for you, why do you bother running for the office in the first place?
Politicians shouldn't be proverbial dogs chasing cars — they should know what to do with the office if they're fortunate enough to win. They shouldn't be like the dog should he ever actually catch the car he's chasing...what would he do with it if he actually did catch it?
This election season, do your research and support candidates who seem to have a legitimate, vested interest in the office they are seeking. Don't vote for people who run for office simply because there's an election coming up.
People seeking office for reserved parking spots seldom make good public servants.
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