Stepping Aside

Attended a gathering this evening at the home of a friend who recently decided to run for the Legislature. A former co-worker, I had helped her with an attempt 20 years ago--when she lost by only 41 votes. She made two other failed attempts at public office, in between advocating for small cities at the state capitol. She is an expert on city government issues.

Now that she's of retirement age, she's decided to try again. With years of advocacy under her belt, she would not be a "newbie" to the Legislative process. Only challenge: winning in a district that is ultra-conservative. Being a devout Catholic, she is pro-life, but she also cares about "unplanned" babies after they are born. She also cares about the future of public schools and public health. That makes her a :"liberal" in the eyes of many of our neighbors.

For the past 16 years, it's been me running for office. Gotta admit that, even after winning four of my five campaigns, I was hoping to sit this one out. The campaign trail is brutal, and there is little appreciation these days for seeking or achieving public service. The populist trend is to hate the "government." And God knows, the salary pales in comparison to what it costs to put together a campaign and run for office.

But I find the idea of stepping aside and cheering on someone from the sidelines strangely appealing. I won't just be helping this Legislative wannabee, but a couple of other people who are seeking county positions.
One interesting thing is that these people are all of "retirement" age. Yet they are willing to either continue on in public service or begin service after many folks our age have migrated to Arizona golf courses.

In 2012, I am stepping aside in several ways. Three months ago, I decided to not seek re-appointment to my seat on the county housing authority, and at the end of the year, my term as chair of the regional library board will be over, although I hope to continue as a board trustee. I've scaled back my responsibilities on the community festival committee. There have been inquiries into a few other appointments or opportunities, but nothing has panned out so far. My only "new" leadership challenge is serving as an elder at my church--in the past, I've been a deaconess, but it's been several years since I've been on the Church Council.

Thanks to Social Security and Pension payments, we don't have to worry about paying the electric bill, so there is not a pressing need to earn a pile of money at this time. I still have plenty of energy and have been enjoying volunteering as a driver for the Council on Aging--more support service.

The one part of public service I always disliked was promoting myself at election time. So this year it feels better to be on the sidelines, promoting others.