How can you hear our voices if you're not listening?
Public - NOUN -
The people as a whole : POPULACE
A group of people having common interests or characteristics
specifically : the group at which a particular activity or enterprise aims
Elect - VERB -
To select by vote for an office, position, or membership
Representative - NOUN -
One that represents another or others: such as one that represents a constituency as a member of a legislative body
Communicate - VERB -
To convey knowledge of or information about : make known
To reveal by clear signs
To transmit information, thought, or feeling so that it is satisfactorily received or understood
Try this.
Call the governor, write to the governor, email the governor. Get back to me when he gets back to you.
Then try this with your state legislators. Let me know how it works out.
Now, call, write, or email any one of the seven city commissioners, or any of the city’s sixteen department heads. This may yield better results. My personal experience has been good on this.
Everyone on the city management team has responded politely, professionally, and for the most part, promptly. All but one of the commissioners have replied directly to at least some of my email while assuring me that, even in the absence of written responses, all of the messages are received and read and respected.
And so, two things occur to me.
The government closest to me matters most and engages best. The further from the people it is, the worse it gets.
And, if you are a public representative or government official, and you publish your contact information, why don’t you answer?
Hello? Anybody there? How can you hear the voices of the citizenship if you’re not listening?
The Governor: https://www.flgov.com/email-the-governor/
State legislators: https://www.stateofflorida.com/state-legislators.aspx
Contact information for the Commission and the city management can be found here: https://www.thecityzenship.org/the-city