By Luke Fischer

Even at its best, serving as an elected official may be the hardest job you will ever take on. Balancing the diverse interests of residents while meeting community needs in an orderly, democratic, and cost-conscience way, day after day, is no small task.

Whenever I think about the magnitude of that responsibility, I’m reminded of a quote attributed to theologian John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

A similar call to do good likely drew many of you to public service. I know that’s certainly true for me.

We are living in a time when the established roles of each level of government — who does what, and when — are increasingly blurred. At every turn, it seems as if we are facing new and unprecedented challenges. It leaves us wondering what lane local government should be driving in.

Most recently, local officials have found themselves responding to the human and municipal impacts of federal immigration enforcement actions. Additionally, during past state legislative sessions, some lawmakers have advanced the view that addressing our statewide housing shortage requires restricting local input through sweeping preemption laws.

At the same time, fiscal pressures continue to mount at the state level and may trickle down to cities. Yet local budgets will still be balanced, and the basic services that make communities livable will still be delivered. Because that’s what local officials do, regardless of the obstacles.

City officials and the residents they serve are looking for a place where their voices can be heard on issues of great importance — issues often handled at higher levels of government. Yet lawmakers at the state and federal levels can seem more distant than ever.

That reality is frustrating, to say the least. It places local officials in the role of last resort — the last remaining place where folks feel like they can be heard by their government. In nearly every case, local leaders did not create the problems that stem from state and federal actions. Nor have they been given the tools, authority, or support to address many of the valid concerns residents raise.

Still, they are on the front lines, listening to those concerns and wrestling with a fundamental question about what the public can and should expect from its government. The answer feels less clear as traditional partnerships between levels of government become strained.

When the unique responsibilities of each level of government become muddled, public confidence in all levels of government can erode. We have seen declining trust in other levels of government spill into city council chambers across the state.

Perhaps the answer begins where many of us started — with our core values. A renewed commitment to public service helps us be our best at all times: to do all the good we can, by all the means we can, at all the times we can, for all the people we can.

As you go about your work, do what you can to reinforce positive, trusting relationships with constituents. Show empathy for their frustrations. Be clear about what you can do and what you cannot. Through communication and action, define local government’s responsibilities and values.

The challenges ahead are real, and they will not disappear overnight. Lean on your peers in other communities. Share your concerns and your successes. At our best, the League is a community of cities that supports one another.

Circumstances will shift and change, but our core values and our commitment to service should not.

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