Research and Reason...

In running for public office the first thing that you need to know is why you are running. It is the first thing that a potential voter wants to know about you. If, like many people who think about public office, you vision yourself as a celebrity, than think again. The worst moment to have is for a voter to ask why you are running and you can't answer. Have your reasons for running ahead of time and make sure you do the necessary research involved.

The research that I have encompassed myself with has been our local code and ordinances. Luckily, in Augusta County this is readily available via the local government website. Start to keep a calender of all the public meetings that go on in your locality. For example, two Wednesdays of the month is our local board meeting, one Monday a month is a work session meeting for our board (this is where the staff that work in the government center report to the board). Other than that there are numerous meetings of other boards and committees with many diverse responsibilities. I have also gotten to know many of the different officials in our county and have taken the time to meet with them and learn their individual function and their departments function. Serving in an elected office means that you have a good understanding of all those different facets. It includes a lot of reading about our state laws as well so as to understand the relationships that exist between the state and the local governments.

Well I am off to another meeting...