The time to get out the vote for Columbia elections is now. The time for village boards to make a get-out-the-vote plan for April, 2027 is now.
Today. And at every single board meeting from here on out.
It should be an action item at every meeting.
Some years back (2017, to be exact) I turned out at an Oakland Mills board meeting to advocate for better leadership. Here’s a portion of what I said:
I've been a teacher over thirty years and one thing I've learned is that the only way to get people to take risks, change, and grow is to create an environment where building relationships is important. Where people can feel good about themselves. Criticism, punitive actions, and negative talk are counter-productive to building and sustaining community.
Building relationships and making people feel good about themselves are also crucial in dealing with the Columbia Association, Howard County Government, and our Village Schools. When we say we value connections, we need to show that we really do. Value. Connections.
You're here tonight because you were the top vote getters in an election where about four hundred households voted. But the flip side to that is that about 3000 households didn't. I would have to say that those missing 3000 households are one of the most important issues you will face as a board. It is crucial that you address this. In fact, all of us who love Oakland Mills must address this. If our mission is to celebrate and improve our village, we need those people on board. They need to know how important they are.
As you vote on officers tonight, I ask that you make your choices based on who would be most likely to reach out to those missing 3000. Who will be the most welcoming, who will listen, give them opportunities to engage and contribute?
This notion does not originate with me. Some very smart person shared it with me* but the problem is that most Columbia election seasons are so unpleasant that the very thought of having to revisit that unpleasantness is loathsome to contemplate.
So every year in the week or so prior to Election Day we have a flurry of media coverage, blog posts, and then…
The same old, same old. Low turn out. Quorum not met in some villages. The same old half truths and half baked proposals circulated on social media. Many of these ideas could be dismissed in about ten minutes if held up to documented evidence. But they float around in the public consciousness for about two weeks or so and then go underground until next spring.
Asking the Columbia Association and all the Village Associations to dive in on Day One to address this is rather like asking someone to have a big portion of whatever made them sick directly after they’ve recovered from food poisoning. I get that.
Today is Monday, April 27th.
Some folks are so, so sick of the ridiculousness of it all and some folks remain blissfully ignorant. Here we are.
We keep visiting our old futility rites each April and I somehow feel it’s all upside down.
*I can’t remember who.
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