Local governments of all sizes require committed leaders and staff to keep their communities running smoothly, but problems can arise when they don’t have the right people to do the job.
When city, township, or borough elected officials cannot effectively serve, residents are left with few options.
Spotlight PA Local Accountability Reporter Min Xian spoke with a panel of experts about the challenges local governments face in finding and retaining dedicated elected officials and the impacts those people have on residents’ lives.
Pennsylvania’s more than 2,500 municipalities require about 12,000 elected officials. A 2021 survey of nearly 900 of them found that about half ran unopposed in both the primary and general elections. It is also common for officials to vacate their positions before the end of their terms.
Laws addressing higher pay for municipal officials were enacted this year... This will allow public servants to be better paid for the time commitment required of their positions. More people from different backgrounds might be better able to participate in local office because of this change.
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Keep in mind that elected public officials often do not get much respect from some quarters. See my comedy skit for what I mean: https://youtu.be/KA2piKnWRIc