WHO REALLY SPEAKS FOR YOU?
By
Richard Davis
The answer to the question of whether or not you get fair representation from the people you elect may seem elusive. Every individual has their own political agenda, so when it comes to representation the best we can hope for is that the person we elect closely holds our values.
Vermonters are extremely lucky on this account on the national level. At least Vermonters who tend to be more liberal and vote Democratic or Progressive.
Our federal delegation reflects the ideals of a majority of us and they have the courage of their convictions to work to uphold those principles.
People in many other states may feel the same way, but we all know that once people get a taste of the power they can wield in Washington they often become co-opted by a corrupt system. Especially those who stay in office for a long time. They become beholden to those with money and they eventually want to hold onto power at all costs. Once they cross that line they no longer represent the people who elected them.
The farther down on the political spectrum you go the more there is a chance that the people who represent you are less tempted to worship the false gods of power and money. That does not mean that those kinds of behaviors do not exist on the state level. But the smaller the state, the less likely that is to happen.
Comparing Vermont and Massachusetts is a good study in contrast. Massachusetts has a full time legislature and the elected officials do a lot of their work behind closed doors. Massachusetts has a history of political corruption at a high level. Just look at how many of their elected officials have been convicted and served time.
Vermont, on the other hand, has rarely if ever, seen an elected official convicted of any crime related to their office. At least I can’t remember this ever happening. That does not mean our state officials are not influenced by the power or money of lobbyists, but they seem to understand that their primary allegiance is to the people who put them in office.
Then there is the very local level. Many towns across the country elect selectboards, city councils and other local officials. I have been on the Brattleboro selectboard for almost a year and I feel comfortable that the five people who represent the town are able to speak for a broad cross section of townspeople. We all have different viewpoints and that means there is a healthy spectrum of thought on the issues we have to deal with.
I have tried to understand the different styles of leadership that people use as they vote on issues such as the budget and other pressing issues. There is no way that personal bias does not enter the picture, but I think we try to minimize that. Yet there are always people on this level that do allow too much of their bias to control their vote. It is important for voters to try to figure out who is acting that way.
I have tried to be as broad as possible in my decisions on how to vote and I realize it is impossible to represent everyone. I hope that voters appreciate common sense and well-reasoned decisions when it comes time to vote. As processes unfold it is important for officials to state their position clearly. That is the best we can do. Some of us like to get into the weeds and some of us like to sit back and take a broader view and some of us are guided by a few issues that become our pet projects. As long as we have that kind of diversity everyone wins.
If you pay attention, at least on the local level, you should be able to vote for someone who closely represents your point of view. Democracy needs engaged voters and we are lucky to have so many engaged voters in Brattleboro.
