Leadership. Lots of people talk about it. Many people say they have it, but what is it?

I think you will find a lot of different opinions on what leadership is, but I know one thing: Local Government Academy develops “Leadership”.

Leadership is what I see in the faces of the graduates of our Newly Elected Officials Course, and we are witnessing more people than ever take on the responsibilities of public servant in their desire to lead communities in a better direction.

With Mother’s Day behind us, it should come as no surprise that women are leading the way. In fact, with Local Government Academy’s largest NEOC class in our history, women comprised 52% of the graduates.

Leadership is what I see in the graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in our Municipal Intern Program who jumpstart their careers with us. The firm belief that they can and WILL change the world for the better never fails to renew my faith in the future.

Leadership is what I see when people step up to make their voice heard. Leadership is what you show when you exercise your right to vote, and it’s what makes our Feature Article timely in advance of the May Primary. Featuring our own, Sarah Godfrey, who has demonstrated remarkable leadership modernizing Local Government Academy communications strategy.

– Joy

The friends of Local Government Academy are voters. Often, they’ve voted every day since the age of 18, or likely only missed an election because of extraordinary circumstances outside their control. In times of political upheaval, we often hear, “Make sure to go out and vote!”

Well, we do. We always do.

So, how do we help those who don’t?

They’re our friends and family, people we love as well as people we endure trite conversation with a couple times a year during holiday dinners. They might willfully engage in political discussion, both well-informed and not so much. Occasionally, they do debate with the intention of listening, understanding, and learning, even after a few glasses of wine. Often, however, much is left to be desired.

Whether interested or disinterested in the political stage, those particular members of our inner circle might commit to vote only in presidential elections, or exercise general apathy regarding primaries, or don’t vote altogether. We know the many reasons why.

This is specifically for the “one vote doesn’t make a difference” crowd.

The truth is that one vote can make a difference. Friends of the Academy know this to be true, have likely stepped into the spotlight to reaffirm this mantra, and have personally witnessed elections, especially on the local level, where one vote was the deciding factor. Considering average voter turnouts, however, not everyone feels the same.

Folks often express frustration over the feeling of insignificance regarding their single vote in today’s system, and they may find messages of “every vote counts” or “if you didn’t vote, don’t complain” candidly dismissive at best, patronizing at worst, and are further discouraged from participating in the system.

Perspective matters. The drive to raise participation in the democratic system nowadays often involves a compelling narrative featuring a common enemy, a short-term fight with consequential fishtailing momentum once the results of the respective election are revealed. Thus, voter apathy resets, and the cycle continues. One election, two elections, ten elections – isolated victories do not shift the grand political stage, they simply rearrange some furniture.

So, how do we reframe the perspective? On a resume, it’s universally known that one achievement is unlikely to secure the most highly esteemed job at such-and-such company. What makes for a strong resume is a consistent body of work over time, wherein singular small achievements become a game changer altogether on one paper. Voting is no different.

(Of course, we can’t ignore that even a solid resume will never guarantee a job at such-and-such company. A multiplicity of factors both within and far, far outside our control also play large roles in determining our success, but, as is true with casting a ballot, the greatest disservice we do ourselves is when we get in the way of our own forward momentum.)

“Every vote matters” has more longevity if the notion isn’t simply “one vote from every voter per election,” but “one voter building a body of work across their lifetime”. Issues that we face today did not begin yesterday, after all, or even within the past one or two or ten elections. The shift of the stage is generational.

“One vote won’t change anything,” your friend, co-worker, or annoying second cousin might say.

“Casting one vote can swing an election, but casting fifty, sixty, seventy ballots across your lifetime can change a generation.”

– Sarah Godfrey, Marketing Manager