Keep Them Accountable

Here in Titletown USA the excitement of bringing home the Lombardi Trophy might overshadow other daily activities.  However, once the glory fades along with the freezing temperatures, it’s time to get back to remembering what was important before the Super Bowl win.

The Wisconsin Spring Primary Elections are less than a week away.  But what happens after a new crop of elected officials arrives?  Do they fall off your radar as you proceed with your daily life? Or, do you stay on top of their activities to ensure they are delivering on the promises they made during their campaigns?

Here are some tips for holding your elected officials accountable.  First, you have to vote.  If you don’t participate in voting and make your voice heard it makes it difficult to complain about who has been elected.  Registering to vote, as it currently stands in Wisconsin, might be one of the easiest things to do.  It might not be as easy as cheering for the Packers, but it is a close second.  It is interesting to see how the “Return to Titletown” event can attract 56,000 people who paid five dollars to attend this event in the middle of winter.  Out of an estimated 187,598 eligible voters in Brown County only 24,388 ballots or 13 percent of eligible voters are expected to participate in the spring primary on February 15.  Voting is free, I like free.

Second, stay in touch with your representatives.  If you are not sure who represents you in the state or at the federal level take some time to educate yourself.  Thanks to the internet, there are many ways to stay in touch with your representative and to find out information about them.  Many representatives have websites or Facebook pages where you can stay updated on how they voted or will vote on a bill.  If you want to see how your Federal official has voted or look at the status of legislation visit here. If you live in Wisconsin, visit here to see who your State Senator or State Representative is and if you want to know how your state legislators have voted visit here.  Today it is easy to stay in touch via email, a phone call or even the occasional snail mail. 

Don’t forget to stay in touch with your elected school board officials, county supervisors and city council members.   Use your resources to find out who these elected officials are.  Contact your local clerk, who has this information, or look online to see if this information is available there. 

Third, organize a day at the State Capitol with your members and visit your representatives with your concerns, your support of certain issues, and your thoughts on how they are doing in representing you.     Before heading out to visit with elected officials be sure to do your homework; know where the representative stands on the issue and arm yourself with facts that support your viewpoint.

Fourth, attend meetings.   We all live busy lives, but a few hours of your evening might be worth the time when you risk seeing your taxes being raised.  Often we see a report in the newspaper talking about what happened at last night’s city council meeting only to realize that had we been there, we would have spoken up about it because it is an important issue to us.    Wisconsin has an open meetings law and the Wisconsin Attorney General’s office has put together a very comprehensive guide on what this law means.  Most meetings are listed online or in your local newspaper.

The greatest news is once you participate and find out whether your elected officials are representing your interests, there is something you can do.  Your vote is what keeps these officials accountable, so make sure you use it.  Local elections do affect you in more ways than you realize.