Slow Democracy
About once a month on a Thursday evening, I feed the dogs early and head down the road a few minutes to my local township building. In a rather nondescript room full of chairs that usually remain unoccupied, I say the Pledge of Allegiance, observe a moment of silence, and then participate in our democracy in the most local way possible. I attend our board of supervisors meeting. Honestly, they are sometimes brutally dry, long, and boring. They are also informative, interesting and inclusive. These meetings serve as a place where you can lodge a complaint, ask a question, or offer positive feedback. Our local elected officials spend time parsing through the oftentimes complicated requests submitted by people wanting to develop, change or alter the community we live in. I watched residents come together to protest developments, criticize the raising trash collection costs and commend a group of first responders for saving a man’s life. I listened to a local farmer explain the possibilities and implications of a new biodigester they were asking for approval of. I heard a library director thanking our township for the donation they give every year that helps keep their doors open.
I’ve attended these meetings for a few years now and I’ve learned so much. The first thing I’ve absorbed is the process by which our township is governed. I now know what a comprehensive plan is and why it is important, how it is the guiding blueprint for any development or other land use in our area. It is important to understand this concept when you are frustrated at yet another farm being turned into a housing development. It’s also critical to know the way this process works so you are informed when talking about issues of land preservation, the housing crisis or tax bases.
Second, I have a better understanding of the public works projects going on around me. I see the broader vision of our township and know how it was crafted and what its intent is. I now appreciate that area of wildflowers in the park and the bird houses I see all around the area as part of the habitat plan. When I look in awe at the magnificent show the trees put on in the public park every spring and fall, I grasp the undertaking it was to procure the grants to hire the landscape designer who created that beauty.
Third, I have also come to know the supervisors as people. They are my neighbors in this place we call home. They want the same good things and are affected by the changes as much as I am. I am also more familiar to them. Connection and belonging are built just by showing up.
In the introduction of their book Slow Democracy, Susan Clark and Woden Teachout state, “just as slow food encourages chefs and eaters to become more intimately involved with the production of local food, slow democracy encourages us to govern ourselves locally with processes that are inclusive, deliberative, and citizen powered”. I am a strong proponent of the civic engagement of slow democracy. Civic engagement is defined as “the ways in which citizens participate in the life of a community in order to improve conditions for others or to help shape the community’s future”. This description sounds lofty but it’s really just about seeing yourself in a broader context and recognizing yourself as a member of a larger social fabric.
The 2021 American Community Life Survey found that civic engagement shows the power of regular, meaningful interaction with friends, neighbors, and other social groups: 66% of Americans who report feeling close to those who live near them rate their communities as excellent places to live, vs. 13% who do not feel closely connected to their neighbors. Even indirect engagement can help; 69% of Americans who personally know someone who is active in their community – such as a member of a homeowners association, a local business owner, someone who volunteers to plan community events – claim they feel closely connected to their communities.
Local democracy is a soap box I proudly stand on. I strongly believe that the most important difference you can make is locally. The decisions made in these township/boro/city buildings are the ones that most directly impact our day-to-day lives. Larger political contests garner far more attention but, to me, are the least impactful in your lived experience. Imagine if your trash didn’t get picked up every week, your roads didn’t get plowed when it snowed, and there were no street lights. Picture your life without public schools or public water, sewer, or parks. All of these things get decided on and funded by your local municipality. I will die on the hill of “you can’t complain if you don’t participate”. All of these issues and lots of others will be debated and decided on with or without you. I offer that your life as well as your community and society as a whole are better off with you influencing the outcome. Attending your local government’s meetings is one of the simplest, yet most meaningful ways to be involved. It’s about having a say in the issues that directly affect your family, neighbors, and town. Civic engagement is a way to invest in the place you call home.
With a new year on the horizon, this could be the perfect time to become more active in your local government. I encourage you to check your municipality’s meeting schedule. Just pick one date that works for you and show up, see for yourself what slow democracy is all about. Your presence matters. An engaged citizenry is how communities thrive.
