Lose weight, read more, contact old friends … all those resolutions for the New Year are so worn out.
I have an idea. With a presidential election behind us, with no major office like state Senator or county commissioner up for grabs, this might be the time for a new kind of New Year’s resolution -To pay closer attention to local politics. Every township, borough and city here has a major election to be decided in 2009, which opens the opportunity to start listening and watching your local officials.
You know what they say about politics; it’s all local, right? And why is that? Partly because the decisions made by township officials and school boards have more of a direct impact on your quality of life than those big shots in H-burg and Washington, D.C. (ask Manheim Township residents). Municipal and school officials have a greater say in how much you pay in taxes each year than the Capitol hills. And yet people tend to pay less attention to their township boards than, say, spam e-mail.
So 2009 brings us a chance to watch the local political arena more closely than ever before. And there are some compelling stories, some of which are listed in tomorrow morning’s Bird’s-Eye View column, print edition, B1.
