Describe your ideal date…uh…politician

Is “Politician” a dirty word?  Plenty of people think so.

Regardless of your answer, there are politicians in office all around us, influencing the development and direction of our communities.  And the majority of elected officials are local – on the city and county level.  These are real people, who might be your neighbors.  So instead of assuming that all politicians are ambitious, self-serving double-talkers and always will be, let’s think about the qualities we would like to see in elected leaders.  Then let’s find people who fit the bill.

Here’s my top 3 list:

1. Integrity. I came across a great definition of this term recently: Integrity is not just keeping one’s word, but honoring one’s word.  This means that one should make all efforts to keep one’s word, but if that is not possible, own up to it and recognize the disappointment or breach of trust it may have caused.  Candidates often have grand ideas about what they want to accomplish.  Sometimes they just can’t make it happen.  For me, integrity is also acting in accordance with one’s values.  I would like to be represented by elected officials who try their hardest to keep their word, act according to their values, and are trustworthy enough to admit when they don’t.
2. Open-minded. This country is currently experiencing a surge of hyper-partisanship, where may folks simply stop listening when the other side starts speaking (or yelling as the case may be).  But all we get with that is a pendulum of policy swinging from the right to the left and back and forth, with one side changing the policies set forth by the other.  To create lasting programs, elected leaders should seek to understand and include diverse perspectives.
3. Desire to Improve Lives of Constituents. This sounds like a no-brainer, but some folks seek office because they like to feel important.  I don’t want to waste my time (and tax-paying dollars) on elected officials who do not have their constituents interests at heart.  This includes candidates who have been bought by campaign donations from various industries or organizations; this includes those who simply want to advance their own careers.  I want a candidate who will look me in the eye and give me a good answer to the question: what will you do improve our city/county?

I could keep going with things like creativity, bridge-building, responsive, transparent, but for me many of those qualities are captured by the first three.  Imagine, what qualities would you like to see in politicians?

Go ahead, think about it.

Now, why can’t we use that as a measurement for candidates?  If you don’t think candidates live up to your standards, recruit someone who does, or consider running yourself.  There is no reason why we have to sit back and accept “dirty politicians.”