Now I know to proactively reach out
Key Takeaways
as told by M.C. Keegan-Ayer, Frederick County, Md. councilmember
I’ve always been somebody who tried to engage the community and help them find their own voice so they can advocate for themselves. I’ve always let people know my door was always open and for a long time, I had that two-way communication with residents.
I found that at a time COVID-19 was dominating people’s lives, the residents who needed the most help were not asking for it. Communities that I had been very involved with were not coming to me for help when the county should have known there were pressing needs. I assumed because we were in a public health crisis, they would reach out if they needed anything. As the chair of the county Council in 2020, it seemed natural they’d see me as a lifeline.
After things settled down, I asked them why they weren’t more vocal and I heard it from more than one group, “We figured you were really busy just keeping people alive.”
Had I known about the challenges and obstacles they were dealing with, it would have helped the county meet their needs, not just to keep people alive but also help them thrive.
They were living in something of a vacuum, but I too was cut off from that direct line to my constituents. They said they didn’t want to “bother” me, but what bothered me more was finding out they weren’t receiving the vaccines they needed.
I have a significant immigrant population in my district, and some of my community members are reluctant to go outside of their safe community.
If I’m going to be an effective leader, I must constantly reach out regardless of what's going on. I must constantly be reaching out, so they don’t see communication as ‘bothering’ me.
Now, regardless of what else is going on, every two to three months I am going to each of these organizations and these people in the community asking “How’s it going?” “What are you hearing?” “What is the problem?’ “What can I help you with?”
It’s a little more labor intensive on my part, but if that’s what I need to do to make them understand it’s not a bother, this is my job, this is what I do. Your job is to actually “bother” me.
Related News
The Promise and Peril Arrive on the Front Lines
NACo CEO Matt Chase writes: "Counties did not ask to be on the front lines of the AI era. But we are. The power demands, the water use, the land battles, the tax base, the workforce changes, the pressure for public services — all of it lands on us first."
Salute to county leaders: Calvin Ball
Calvin Ball’s appointment to the Howard County, Md. Council in 2006 launched a county government leadership career that will have lasted more than 20 years when he leaves office after two terms as the county’s first African American executive.
Salute to County Leaders: Debbie Bell
Debbie Bell's trail to become Fremont County, Colo.'s first female commissioner started when she was 16 and suggested her father run for the commission, which prompted him to challenge her to do the same.
County News
Now I know how to build consensus
Jefferson County, Wis. Administrator Ben Wehmeier learned how to include the public and make them feel like their input was heard and respected.
