 Testing your readiness for local government office. Elected officials are required to address many different types of community needs and issues, from zoning and waste disposal to animal control and fire protection. It's important to have a good understanding of your community's specific needs and issues. Your perspective on those matters can greatly assist you in collective decision-making and responding to the community. Some of the ways you can learn about your community are, look at your community's key planning documents and reports, such as the official community plan, asset management plan, and the annual report. When you get elected to a council or board, you are stepping into a continuing organization. Plans and bylaws from the previous council or board will continue on into your term and also give a good indication of some of the community's priorities before you are elected. Attend a council or board meeting to learn about priority issues and projects in your community and observe what being on a council or board might be like. Volunteer for a local government committee. Committees provide information and advice to the council or board and staff on issues of concern. Review your local government's website to understand the local government's key priorities and initiatives. Attend neighborhood association meetings or get to know key groups in your community, such as the Chamber of Commerce, social agencies, or environmental stewardship groups to understand the diversity of interests in your area. I think it's important that if anyone is interested in a council, to actually attend some of the council meetings or watch some of the videos because sometimes the news clips, they can't tell the whole story in a two-minute video or a four-in-a-word story. So to understand and really go through the staff reports, maybe meet with city staff or the mayor or one of the counselors to sort of understand the process and what it's like to be on council and then also sort of the background information on whatever issues and concerns are. So you have a better understanding of all the gamut of decision-making we have to do on being on council. In addition to learning about your community, it is important to be aware of some of the demands of being an elected official. Being an elected official can be a very rewarding experience, but as you can imagine, attending meetings and other public functions and taking the time to learn about your council or board will require a significant amount of time. What you find now is the public are much better informed. They demand more time. It's a whole bunch of people that are all trying to do some really, really good things, but you need to be cautious that the time commitment can be consuming. As an elected official, you must attend regularly scheduled meetings, special meetings and committee meetings. You'll be expected to be prepared for these meetings so that you can participate in an informed way and help make decisions. There can be a steep learning curve when you become an elected official. You'll be expected to learn about your council or board's meeting procedures and any codes of conduct your council or board may have. You'll also be expected to read and understand documents such as staff reports, budgets and submissions from the public. You only take on what you can handle. You always make sure you have time for your family, but you commit to doing your part and reading the packages, reading the agenda and going out and looking at the sites. It's really important that the community feels that you're part of them and that you're engaged with them. As an elected official, you'll be in the public eye, not only during council and board meetings and other related activities, but also in your personal life. Social media has made it easier for people to keep tabs on elected officials and express their opinions to a large audience with just the click of a button. All of this can have implications for any other employment you may have. The amount of time you spend with your family and any other areas of life where you previously focused your time. I think that working with local government in an elected capacity is one of the most challenging and rewarding political jobs that you can have. It was quite a shock, the experience. It wasn't what I expected it would be. I came in with fairly strong opinions about community development and where we were heading. Local government is really about working with diverse perspectives and understanding that your own perspective isn't necessarily going to be the one that prevails. The wisdom of the group is something you can never underestimate. I think though what's rewarding is the changes you make or the decisions you make in the community you actually get to see. And working together successfully can be addictive and I think that's the really rewarding part of the experience. What you're doing is setting legacies for your community for the future. And when you can look at community has so much potential you need good people to step in and try to steer towards reaching some of its potential for something that you can look back and be very proud and instill that community pride. That's one of the great things that is enjoyable being on City Politics.