The Gay Vegans

(Left to right) Gloria Crudgington, Becky Shevlin and Donna Baker field questions from residents at the Monrovia City Council candidates forum on Thursday, Feb. 13.

Get involved – your city council

I’m writing a series of posts about getting involved politically. I’m always hoping our readers get politically active, which is not a surprise if you have read past posts.

This first post is about getting involved with your city council. The first time I interacted with a city council member was about a chained dog. I wrote asking about any city laws regarding chained animals and if there were any protections for them. She responded quickly and was very helpful. Just like looking up other people who represent you in government, it’s pretty easy to find out who is on your city or town’s city council. Just google “your city” and city council and you’ll have the link to your council website. You may have city council members that all represent everyone in your city/town or that represent different parts. If you have a city council member that represents your specific part of town, start with them.

The way I have found that seems to work in getting to know council members is to introduce myself via email. It doesn’t have to be long. Letting them know you live in their district and tell them a couple of local issues important to you.

Then attend a council meeting and go say hi to them. You don’t have to stay for the whole meeting. I know we are all super busy, so keep in mind that the most important action to take is to introduce yourself. You can do a lot more, and getting to know them and them you is a good start.

Your city council has a lot of power. Get to know them. See who votes which way and if their votes match your values and how you see where you live.

And if you’re unhappy with those who represent you on city council, consider running yourself. I’m a firm believer that every day citizens like us have that right, and in some cases that duty.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

About Dan Hanley

Gay and vegan in the burbs (of Los Angeles). I blog about veganism, equality, compassion, activism, politics, spirituality, and our awesome life experiences. The "s" includes my husband, Mike! I want this blog to be a tool to build bridges among communities and to inspire people to get involved and vote.

Leave a Reply