Stand by your Convictions
Authenticity
For elected officials, the process of creating policy solutions to the problems of the district is a balancing act - weighing the attitudes of your constituents with your own priorities and values. How do you decide what policies to author and/or support? This is something that only you can decide. However, authenticity is a characteristic that is not only proving to resonate with voters during election time, but engenders a leadership of moral clarity that most people in this country -left, right, or center - are hungry for.
Camp Wellstone Alumnus Steve Simon, who represents legislative district 44A in the Minnesota House of Representatives, tells us that he believes it is crucial that elected officials look to their values when making policy decisions.
"I think that public officials owe their very best judgement to their constituents," explains Simon, "Sometimes, that judgement may lead to unpopular decisions. Exercising independent judgement also means being courageous."
By making clear to constituents and your fellow elected officials where you stand on the issues, you communicate an integrity and authenticity to your constituents. Supporters of Sen. Paul Wellstone used to say that they may not agree with him on every issue, but they always knew where he stood. Standing by your values is one way to decide what policies to support or oppose.
Stand by your Convictions
It is also important to recognize that the work for elected officials is not always easy. When making decisions that profoundly affect people's lives, the weight of the responsibility of leadership feels like a very heavy load. In these times, it is more important than ever to know your values and your convictions and stand by them - you can always look back and doubt if the decision was the right one, but you will always know you came by it honestly and as conscientiously as possible. And if elected officials engage in meaningful constituent contact, those decisions and convictions will be all the more informed by the real experience of the communities they work to represent.