Nurah Speaks

The political season is bearing down upon us. Candidates will soon be stomping in your town seeking your vote. But what considerations do you have when choosing your elected officials? Choosing our elected officials, especially at the local level, is one of our most important acts of civic engagement because it is these electeds who will be voting on legislature that will directly impact our families and our communities. These are the folks who will be in the closed door rooms when decisions are made affecting us. We want to have folks in these rooms who will advocate staunchly on our behalf, not capitulate to access, money and prominence. Therefore, let's consider the following: • 1. Do they sacrifice consistently of their persons and resources, even in the absence of an ‘important’ title? • 2. Do they practice what they preach? • 3. Are they dignified and do they respect the dignity of others? • 4. Are they solution-oriented? • 5. Are they ‘big meeting members' or consistently a