There is a separate document describing the kinds of skills one would need in order to be an effective city council member. This is based on my personal experience as an advocate and on an Indeed dot com article. A link is at the bottom of the word document. I agree with all of it. However, there are some things that were not mentioned & that you won’t be told about. Read this if you dare  This is long but interesting.

1. You MUST have a desire to serve

2. You must be committed

3. Integrity & the courage of your convictions

4. You have to have good communication skills

5. Good time management skills

6. You have to have a very high frustration level

7. Can’t take things personally

8. Good social skills

9. You have to like driving or living in your car (part time anyway)

10. Know how to read a financial statement

11. Have leadership skills (public speaking background is good)

12. You don’t have to be former military, but it looks good on the resume’.

13. If you have anything in your background that could come back to bite you, like a DUI, stuff like that, you might want to think twice (even if you are a born-again Christian). Bankruptcy is a real no-no. It will be used against you in an election, I promise you.

If you are married & your relationship isn’t doing too well, this will probably be the tipping point. You get to interact with all kinds of people. There are all kinds of temptations, seriously, for money, sex, perceived power! If you have a propensity to over do life & you have trouble controlling your impulses, this probably is not a good place for you because when you become a public figure, you will be seen and you will ultimately be caught. I promise you. On the other hand, if you’re a really social person, you’ll love this job.

One of the requirements of a Hemet council person is you have lots of outside commissions you need to participate in. That means lots of driving, lots of time away from home. If you don’t believe me, ask a former city council member (or a current one). You get to eat a lot of junk food, outside food, etc. You get to meet a lot of people, some are worth knowing, others? Negligible. Everyone you meet has a place in the grand scheme of things (if you’re opportunistic). Oh, you do get reimbursed for some of your expenses. That is kind of a murky area. Some prior council members really took advantage of the credit card issued to them (yes, the city issues you credit card with a stated line of credit). So don’t get carried away with yourself. You will be caught if you do 

If you aren’t the communicative type, this is probably not a good match. Oh – did I say, really important, you have to be able to THINK ON YOUR FEET? Guaranteed there is someone on the council that will out think you & out maneuver you. We have plenty of evidence of that, past & present.

How are your comprehension skills? Start reading the council agendas & the staff reports. They’re written by staff (& approved by the city manager). You’ll begin to notice how vague some of the information is. Staff wants to protect “their turf”.

Since you’ll be in your car a lot, attending a lot of public functions, you won’t have enough time to really read the agenda. You’ll have to take the word of the city manager (who you’ll meet with before the actual meeting). If you know how to scan a document & have experience doing it, you may get to make decent decisions about what’s on the agenda. It’s helpful if you know how to debate during a council meeting. You really do need to out think the opposition (when there is opposition) But you have to be to the point & quick. There tends to be some “hostage taking”. You don’t want to be part of that. Don’t trust ANYONE. If you are voted onto city council, don’t expect to make friends.

Incidentally, if you are elected by the council to be mayor, you don’t get to do any thing you want to do. You have to be super aware of municipal code. If a constituent calls you for help with something, you’d better check the code before being Johnny on the spot with a n answer. No, you don’t have to be a lawyer, thankfully. But don’t count on the city attorney to help you out. He’s looking out for the city, not you. If you have a problem with something, your constituents will be all over you. You have to be aware of what your constituents want from you & you have to have someone along side of you (a secretary maybe? An unpaid assistant) that has YOUR best interests at heart so you can put the issue in terms that make sense to the voter, not just you. You will not like every vote you take but you’ll learn to swallow your pride & do the right thing. Give & take is a big part of politics. Council is non-partisan but make no mistake, it’s political.

While I’m at it, let’s talk about city staff. You’re allowed to ask questions. Bear in mind, you may get “slanted” answers. If you are aggressive with staff, they won’t like you & you’ll have a tough time getting what you want or need. You don’t have to like the people you interact with, but if you’re on council, you’d better learn how to get along. Former council woman Karlee Meyer had one heck of a time in her early days. Too bad she’s not here to explain. It didn’t come easy for her. I don’t want to mention current council members, but if you want to “play ball” you have to “play ball”. Know what I mean?

Timing is everything. One major flaw in the current system is how quickly the agenda comes out. If you have a meeting on a Tuesday but don’t get enough time to read it, you are at a real disadvantage. The current city manager decided the agenda should post online on the Wednesday prior to the next meeting. That has not worked out. If you don’t get an agenda in a timely manner, it’s impossible to read hundreds of pages in staff report & making an intelligent decision about how to vote.

I’m just a little ole’ advocate, not a council person, not an elected official & I’m old. So why do I do this? Hemet will never again be what it once was. It has change immeasurably in the past decades. I don’t appreciate it when some know it all who inherited all their assets from mommy or daddy or has a bachelor’s degree thinks they’re smarter than I am. Even if you’ve lived here your entire life, you still don’t know it all. I’m sure there are many people who are smarter than I am. I do what I do because I’d truly like to see the right kind of growth in Hemet/San Jacinto. I’m not looking for a legacy & I don’t get paid to do what I do. I spend a lot f time on what some-times turns out to be unproductive. So, if you don’t agree with my opinions or with the facts, take it to the city council, not me.

This is not meant to be funny. Being a public servant is not funny. It is a ton of work for very little pay. That’s where the “temptations” come in). Talk to a current and/or a past council person. If you are elected to city council, your life as you currently know it, will suddenly change, so you’d better be prepared.

I hope anyone reading this has learned something. If I left something out, feel free to add in the comments. Job descriptions are all over the city website (most the time). If you can’t find what you’re looking for, try contacting the City Clerk. They may be able to help.