Eye On Illinois: Like government but not politics? Keep that focus local

It’s been a difficult week for those who like to focus on government over politics.

Having the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and processing reactions from those elsewhere on the political spectrum, delivered a blunt reminder the two major political parties are their own industries, taking in and pushing out billions of dollars in the primary interest of self-propagation.

It can very well be true that a person who wants to change the world gets into politics to seek elected office to make important votes, and that an individual’s personal values can remain at the core of their mission and life’s work. It also is believable that thousands of people align with either Democrats or Republicans because they believe their chosen party most closely aligns with particular principles.

But the parties themselves, the official, national political organizations, are monoliths. They exist to make money, to amass power. Yes, the goal is to elect candidates to enact the policies individual members endorse, but the organizational goal does not involve being accountable to taxpayers or society or anything like what we envision when we complete our first voter registration card.

This is less complaint than observation: our elected officials also are politicians – career or otherwise – and no one ascends to a level that endows their votes with significant power without at least being tolerable to one of the two major political parties, if not outright embracing The Party as a means of advancement.

Of course, the further we get away from Washington, D.C., and Springfield and Chicago, the more likely an average voter and an elected official can dispense with the politics and focus on government. Obviously, our mayors and county board members and so on tend to be political creatures with determined passions, but generally, we can leave all that aside to discuss which intersection needs a left-turn lane or whether it’s time to replace the sewer plant.

Which brings up two distinct points. One is that elected officials who serve beyond the county level can (and should!) make strong, bipartisan connections by focusing communications with constituents on policy, results and ensuring the unelected employees who make government agencies run actually deliver the services promised in campaign and floor speeches.

Two is that for all the excitement of televised conventions and larger-than-life ticket-leading candidates, it’s just as important, arguably much more vital, to focus on local elections. In Illinois, we call these odd-year ballots consolidated elections because they incorporate “municipalities, townships, libraries, parks, school districts, and other special purpose districts,” according to the elections board.

Petition circulation began July 30. Filing starts Oct. 21. That provides plenty of time to be not just informed, but involved. No partisan political allegiances required.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. Follow him on X @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.