Anyone who reads my articles knows that I am a political nerd. It’s a badge of honor that I wear proudly and I make no apologies for it. I got involved in politics, because it is easy to sit on the sidelines (social media) and gripe about the government. In fact, there are many in Marion County that excel at being “keyboard warriors”. However, it is a completely different thing to actually get involved in shaping public policy. In 2023 consider stepping up and serving in local government here in Jefferson/Marion County.
One thing that 2022 saw locally were discussions regarding the City of Jefferson developing a Strategic Plan. There have been several meetings with TAMU, who are leading the charge on this initiative. Everyone realizes that without a plan, chances of success are grim. If you have not attended any of these meetings, reach out to your Alderman or Alderwoman, to find out when the next meeting is, and make your voice heard.
Another way you can serve is by actually attending city council and commissioners court meetings. Gaining knowledge about what is actually going on, is the first step into getting involved with public policymaking. Once again, the best place to start out is by reaching out to your Alderman/Alderwoman, Mayor, County Commissioner, or County Judge and get acquainted with them. Share with them your willingness to get involved. I can tell you from experience, it will be welcomed to have someone coming to offer help versus the alternative, which is dealing with a complaint.
Where can you serve? In the city, there are various boards that regular citizens serve on to help manage the city. The county from time to time needs volunteers to serve, such as election workers. In fact, one of the reasons that led to the closing of some voting boxes was due to a lack of election workers. Having served as the Presiding Judge over the box at Mims for nearly four years, I can tell you that I have learned a lot when it comes to election law and rights of citizens.
There are local political parties and clubs that you can join. Since I write “From the Right” I am naturally going to encourage you to seek out the Republican organizations here in our county! Political party involvement is where you gain an understanding of how political parties work, since they have their own bylaws, both at the local and state level.
Ultimately, our city and county only gets better when citizens take an active role in public policy making. As I have stated several times over the past year, you must get up and do something about it, and not rely on your neighbor to do it for you. Political laziness is exactly how the wrong people get into positions of power, which only hurts everyone in the long run. Perhaps you are the next Alderman or Alderwoman? Maybe you think you would make a good county commissioner or other county government office holder? Throw your name in the hat, and start making a difference!
Hunter Bonner is the President of the Marion County Republican Assembly and a lifelong activist. He can be reached at hunterbonner@outlook.com and on Twitter @HunterBonner. His views are his own.