10 Signs: Houston We Have A Problem

Ten signs of electile dysfunction. (Or how to know if an elected official has jumped the shark).

 

  1. An inability to lose a vote. In an ideal world when the vote is called, you state your position yay or nay. Then you accept the decision and move on. If your elected official can’t accept that he or she may lose an occasional vote you’ve got a problem. Key signs of being a sore loser: endlessly litigating the same issue, looking for loopholes to reverse the decision, attacking opponents, whining, blocking and bloviating. Sadly, there is no known cure other than beating the offender at the polls the next election cycle.
  2. Above it All Syndrome– Symptoms include pretending to be separate from your staff. So when a citizen approaches the mic and complains about an issue or problem you immediately blame staff and take no ownership of said issue.
  3.  Rule of Law Disease-A deeply fatal condition in which elected officials pretend that ordinances, processes and policies are mere “guidelines” or “suggestions” to be applied only when convenient or relating to people they like or who back them. Leads to symptom four.
  4. Litigation fever–An expensive malady in which: armed with taxpayer (i.e. your) money elected officials hire attorneys to battle anyone who doesn’t bend to their will regardless of rules, laws, processes and policies.
  5. Narcissistic Personality Disease–Those afflicted suffer from multiple of the above symptoms. It’s about them and only them. Do not. We repeat. Do not dare feed this affliction lest you become its victim. Symptoms include: Repeated use of the word “I” , a strong belief that you were sent to right all past “wrongs” and only you can fix things. This disease is accompanied by a deep seated belief that every idea has to be yours in order to be worthy of consideration or valid. Those suffering from this serious malady believe time began when they took their seats. Hint: It didn’t.
  6. My Way or the Highway Disease—This refers to elected officials who believe their personal preferences should take precedence over community input which is treated as annoying or inconvenient. Symptoms: town halls become lecture series and presentations replace community input sessions.
  7. That Won’t Work Here Disease. Symptoms include a bedrock belief that their city, village, town, hamlet or burg is somehow immune from facts, best practices and what has been demonstrated to work elsewhere. Frequently used to reject policies related to development, parking, civic engagement and or anything innovative or new.
  8. The Precedent Test. Closely related to that won’t work here disease. Easily determined by how your elected officials treat new or novel ideas. If the word precedent is used this way you have problems: “We can’t do that. It will set a precedent.” If the official answers with: “let’s set a new precedent, that’s how we find progress.” He or she does not suffer from the malady.
  9. Seeking perfection disease. Symptoms include an inability to compromise, an inability to trust staff and an unwillingness to accept even 9/10ths of a loaf.
  10. Grandstanding Disease. Symptoms include grand speeches at public meetings, blindsiding colleagues, inflating minor issues into major imbroglios and calling the press every time you lose a vote to allege a taxpayer rip-off knowing that your blindsided opponents will either be unprepared, unavailable or afraid to refute you.

If you are an elected official with one or more of these symptoms you won’t seek help and your “service” (sigh) won’t amount to much.

If you serve alongside any of these characters and fail to stand up to them you will be swept up in their dysfunction and also fail to move the needle on behalf of the community.

And if you are a community that has to endure any one of these types you are out of luck–unless of course you ditch them. If you don’t….

It won’t be fun to volunteer. It won’t be fun or productive to work for such a city and it won’t be safe to invest.

The antidote is to organize and insist on better leadership and ultimately to have the courage to step forward and take them out at the ballot box.

Remember: you stand for what you tolerate.