Know the Importance of City Council Representatives

City councils are the governing body of your city, elected by you and working to represent your interests. Your city council can do things for you like enact new laws on animal rights, create green spaces, build bridges, fix roads, and more.

City Councils meet regularly to discuss city-wide agendas. The City Council consists of one member from each ward represented in your city. 

Who is Qualified to Be a Representative 

Candidates for Council must be at least 18 years old and a resident of the City they wish to represent, like Council candidate Steven Rosenblum. Council members serve two-year terms and are elected in even years. The candidate who receives the most votes is elected until their term expires. That means that Council member serves both the primary and general elections. 

Council members bring the perspective and experience they have gained as residents of your city and ordinary citizens who care about their community and its future. Like all candidates for public office, Council candidates may be approached and asked to run by a political party or circulate a nominating petition. Council members are not paid for their service on Council unless they hold another job in local government or serve as an officer of Council. In either case, Council members’ salary is the same as other employees having similar positions at City Hall.

What Can City Council Do

Your city council can do many things to protect the environment, like building parks and gardens or using solar panels to make energy. Your city council can also work on conservation efforts like making sure local rivers stay clean and recycling programs for paper and plastic. Boards can also create laws, like whether you’re allowed to walk your dogs in public parks or at what times stores can sell liquor. Council members must be sure that the ordinances they create are legal and work for everyone in the community.

How to Contact Your City Council

If you think that your city council needs to hear about an important issue- whether it’s a bill, event, or something else entirely- you can contact them through your city’s government website or by mail. You can also call their office and speak to them over the phone. Generally, if you call about something important, they will give you the phone number of their committee chairperson who can deal with your issue. 

Do not worry if you wish to contact someone on the city council but do not know their name. A list of your city council members is available online. You can search for your Council member to find out their email address, office phone number or send them a letter through snail mail. 

You can also follow them on social media. Your city council members might also have websites and Facebook pages. Make sure to look up your city council members and learn about them.

No matter which party they belong to or what problems interest them most, Council members love feeling involved in your community. Let your Council representative know if you have an idea or want help with anything related to Council work. Council members like you to be a partner in creating a thriving community for everyone.