POLL: Why Aren't You More Involved in Local Government?

Editor's Note: I fixed the poll, but the 4 recorded votes were lost. Sorry for that! Please enter your vote again and know that by clicking a choice, your vote, like at the polls, is anonymous!

Anyone who has ever attended a village board meeting knows that aside from some perfunctory discussion, there is little debate about the issues. While there is opportunity for residents to comment and ask questions, by the time issues get to the Village Board, the work has already, for the most part, been done.

No, the real debates occur at the committee level. Because it's part of my job, I attend a fair number of meetings in both villages and I am amazed at how few residents are at any of them.

In , committee meetings are held on the Tuesday evenings there isn't a board meeting. Easy peasy. Show up at Village Hall at 6 pm, get a copy of the agenda that's always on the table, and follow along. Trustees and Village President Steve Jansen are always willing to listen to a resident and give consideration to that citizen's view.

can be a little more tricky, I know. Committee meetings are held at various times throughout the week; Planning Commission at 1 pm on Wednesdays once a month and Storm Water or Parks late in the afternoon on Thursdays. Residents who work traditional work hours certainly can't jog over to Village Hall and catch a meeting or even request to participate as a committee member if the meetings aren't convenient.

Still, village trustees and current committee members welcome residents to the conversations. They know the best idea may come from outside the group.

So here's what I want to know: What's your primary reason for not getting involved? Take our poll and I'll follow up with a future story.