By Luke Fischer

There’s an old saying: If you want to get something done, ask a busy person. I’ve always thought that was true — particularly when you consider the people that serve communities across our state.

The first mayor I worked for was active in his church, I knew a snowplow driver who was an excellent wrestling coach, and there was the city administrator who helped found a charter school in her community. People that step up to serve on city council or find a career working in local government are people of action, who believe in where they live, and have realized all too often if something needs to be done, they’ve got to do it.

Society is better for it. Just think about some of the challenges cities have solved over the past few years through the pandemic. Faced with unimaginable uncertainty, public servants at the local level kept things moving. Police and fire departments responded to calls, buildings were still inspected, and clean drinking water was about the only thing that didn’t experience a supply chain shortage. Work didn’t stop even though it got more complicated and complex. But that’s no surprise — the people leading local government across our state were too busy to spend time admiring the problem — they just got to work.

That’s because the folks that serve cities across Minnesota believe deeply in community — they know their “why” and have a clear sense of purpose. There’s this universal understanding that we’re in a people business and that our efforts at the local level shape the quality of life for those that call our communities home. I think that’s probably why we see so many people involved in local government engaged in other parts of community life.

The environment we operate in hasn’t necessarily gotten less complicated as the pandemic-related restrictions have eased. Instead, cities have been dealt a tough hand coming out of the most recent legislative session. As the Legislature passed bills that admittedly needed refinement, that could be sorted out the next time it convenes, it left a lot of uncertainty for someone else to figure out. Enter the busy people.

As local leaders, you’ve grabbed the reins to ensure that the places we call home aren’t adversely impacted by work left incomplete at the Capitol. Instead, you’ve leaned in and developed knowledge and understanding of issues you didn’t ask to be experts in.

Take the recent legalization of cannabis, for example. Regardless of what you think about the merits of legalized marijuana, legislation passed this session left local leaders with a lot to work through. I haven’t met a council member who was inspired to run for office to sort out land use regulation related to cannabis or a municipal liquor store manager who ever dreamed of answering questions about municipal dispensaries. But you’re doing it.

And that’s all been while you’re working through your budgets, trying to hire someone to replace the long tenured employee who’s retiring, and wrapping up summer construction projects before it gets cold. A lot of you probably balanced all this with planning a community festival with the Lions Club, hustling kids to practice, and fundraising for a community play.

I think one of the things that keeps so many people going is the understanding that all this work matters. You know the people who are impacted most by inaction — it’s your neighbors! Former League President and Minnetonka Mayor Brad Wiersum is well known for reminding just about anyone who will listen that our work is “closest to the customer.” That proximity means you’ve got to do your best to get it right every time. If you don’t, you’re going to hear about it. You can’t be active at church, coach, or volunteer at your kid’s school and draw a line of distinction from your duties as mayor, snowplow driver, or city administrator, after all.

It can maybe feel a little thankless when you’re hearing critical feedback about a problem you’re sorting through during a public comment at a meeting or hearing about the garbage can that is overflowing at the park while you’re buying groceries. But the world needs busy people like you to keep momentum. So, with all that you’re doing, all that you’re balancing, all that new expertise you’re developing, we want you to know that you’re doing a great job and that it’s worth it.

Luke Fischer is executive director of the League of Minnesota Cities. Contact: [email protected] or (651) 281-1279.