House Speaker Thomas (Tip) O’Neill’s 1936 quote that “All politics is local” rang true 90 years ago, and it does now. But the lessons of history tell us something far more important. There are 90,000 local governments in the U.S., covering county, city and town governments, as well as school and fire districts. This is the foundation of all governance in our nation, and it goes far beyond politics, to impacting all aspects of leadership. Yes, up to and including the national level!
Local elected leaders sometimes go on to be the State or national leaders that represent us. But even more important, our voices and actions at the local level send a clear message of our hopes and expectations for elected and appointed leaders at the highest levels of our state and federal government.
With 90,000 local government units in the U.S., and probably more that 1,000,000 local leaders in those organization, we have the numbers and the capacity to impact leadership throughout our nation. Leaders that believe and act in ways that show that public service is their first and highest responsibility, not politics or power.
The power we have at the local level for good governance and politics that works for the people will be impacted by all of us:
Choosing Leaders: Elect and support people who have and seek: Integrity (believe in truth, honor and
reliability); facts and making decisions based on them; experience, and competence. These are the people that we should encourage to run for office and follow their models of excellence ourselves. President and 5-Star General, Dwight D. Eisenhower, said “The supreme quality of leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible… .”
Being Involved: The survival of democracy depends on the active participation of republicans, democrats and independents. Silence and lack of participation results in voids. And history has proven time and again that our silence is far too easily dominated by voices and actions that can strip away the principles of our democracy and freedom itself.
Speaking Out: With social media, print news and other venues, there are ample opportunities to voice our opinion. Write an op-ed or a letter to the editor. Attend appropriate meetings to be informed. Speak up, your voice really does count.
See Compromise as a Strength: How did politics and governance ever get to the point where it was win or lose? Where everything had to be won, or there is no agreement and no path to move forward. A democracy governed by people who elect their representatives cannot exist like that. (Actually, businesses don’t succeed that way either.) Compromise, without violating principles, is essential to all human behavior. And it needs to be valued part of any negotiation. In a political context, republicans and democrats can have a successful deal without winning everything. This also leaves room for discussing the issue again in the future.
The motto of “We Are One Bethlehem” held that we honor our diversity, as we come together in Bethlehem for our town and all of the people in it. This is a powerful and creative concept. It emphasizes people over power, civil discource and the value of everyone’s opinion. The question that we need to answer: How to we build on the concept of “We Are One Bethlehem”? And how to we communicate our views beyond or Town?
Another example is Indivisible. I have joined the Bethlehem Indivisible group. This is a grassroots movement of thousands of local Indivisible groups, welcoming all people, with a mission to elect progressive leaders and rebuild our democracy. Having attended several group meetings, including with local and national leadership, I know that Indivisible supports the Constitution and the rule of law, stands up for the four principles that I have outlined above and welcomes all people, regardless of their political affiliations.
The Town of Bethlehem is a wonderful place to live for so many reasons. Those reasons include the people that live and work here, a professionally led and honest government (lead by republican and democratic administrations over the past 50 years that I have lived here), truly caring and capable town employees, and an outstanding school system. Now, all I am saying is let us try to find ways to demonstrate and make a difference, in politics and governance that will truly show the power of people.
Sam Messina
Sam Messina is a former Bethlehem Councilman and Town Supervisor. Prior to that he was Assistant to the President of the NY Daily News and Director of Administration and Management of the NYS Department of State. Sam has lived in Bethlehem with his wife and children for nearly 50 years.
