It seems like every day brings a new announcement of the latest person running for governor or the U.S. Senate seat representing Pennsylvania.
The ever-enlarging pool of possibilities comes on the heels of two presidential elections with fields of candidates so large they didn’t all fit on the debate stages at the same time during the primary.
With that kind of visual, it can be hard to imagine there aren’t enough people getting involved in public service.
It’s true. The real epidemic in America — and Pennsylvania — isn’t covid-19 or opioids. The real shortage isn’t on empty store shelves.
The problem is that teachers and medical professionals aren’t the only ones burning out and leaving empty spots in jobs that need to be done. They aren’t the only ones doing underappreciated jobs. Doing work that needs to be done but no one notices isn’t something new. It’s been happening for a while now.
For years, Pennsylvania ballots have had holes in them where people have stopped stepping up. Some are the ones with specific tasks like jury commissioner or constable. Some are the decision-makers like council members.
There is more than just elected work to do. There are authorities that need appointments. There are boards that need volunteers. There are nonprofits that need people to participate. And none of it happens enough.
On Jan. 3, all five members of a recreation committee in the Allegheny County borough of Brackenridge resigned. The committee for years has done the things that made a municipality into a community, arranging events that are the difference between a place where people reside and a place where people live.
Who will do that now?
This isn’t a criticism of the people who stepped down. The former president, Cindy Kish, has done the work for 16 years. How do you tell someone that 16 years of volunteering isn’t enough?
Those empty seats on the committee could be the end of those parades and Easter egg hunts or they could be an opportunity for other people to step up and take their turn.
More people need to take that chance when it’s offered, and not just because the work needs to be done. They need to do it because more people being involved is more people taking ownership for what happens in our neighborhoods.
— The Tribune-Review (TNS)
