Kyle City Limits
by BRENDA STEWART
As the special election closes in on us, I am beginning to see a weariness in our candidates that I had been unaware of in the past. I guess this year I’m downtown and more involved, paying closer attention. I had never actually reckoned with what it would take to put yourself out there and run for public office. It just seemed like someone else’s job and, honestly, kind of like acting, seeking the limelight. And although I know that in some instances, city government is just a stepping stone to higher office, I truly believe that the majority of folks who take the time and money to put their lives on hold and reputations on the line to run for office on a local level, sincerely believe that they have something of benefit to offer their communities. They certainly don’t do it for the pay. Or the adulation.
Keeping me from feeling kindred, though, is my frustration with the ostensive elitism I have encountered at times on the council and in city government in regard to their not feeling a responsibility to relay information which should, ethically, be public knowledge. And, the odd tactic of elected officials holding their cards close to the vest, as if the public are mere spectators not quite bright enough to comprehend the strategy and finess of city government so they don’t worry us with all those pesky facts and details. Even when we ask for them.
In a couple of days we’ll have a pair of new council members and a new mayor. By May, a majority of the council will have changed. New dynamics. New energy. New leadership. And, hopefully, new rules of conduct. Not just following the letter of the law and offering nothing more. Opening doors and raising the shades and letting the sun shine onto the workings of our local government. Becoming accessible to our community and trusting us to not only be able to understand the complex world of small town politics but to be able to actually contribute to the proceedings. Novel concept.
