On April 1st, I was sworn in as a member of the municipal council of Wijchen, my hometown in the Netherlands. I have now been a council member for six months. Time to look back.
What did I learn? Mostly this: my trust in democracy has grown. A lot.
I was elected, and I feel that
I feel it very strongly. People voted for me. That gives me a responsibility. To read all the documents. To work hard to make proposals better. To talk to people. To really put in the effort.
And when you do that, you can actually change things.
Everyone wants the best for the community
What struck me most is the people. Council members talk to each other. They come up with improvements to each other’s ideas. I often see things very differently from my fellow council members. But every single one of them wants the best for our local community.
People can be skeptical about politics. Why are they doing this? What is in it for them? But in all the people I have met, I have not seen any other reason than wanting the best for the people who live here. I think that is truly beautiful.
It also became much clearer to me that the municipality really works for its residents. That is what it is there for. And that is what the people in it are doing.
You can make a difference, but not on your own
Our council has 27 members. So your influence is not very direct. You cannot change the whole world at once.
But you do have influence. In the Netherlands, the day-to-day work of a municipality is done by the mayor and aldermen. As a council member, I can ask them questions. I can check what they do. I can make proposals for what I want to change. And people listen.
If you have a good proposal, people will look at it. And if it makes things better, I believe it will happen.
A small example
Before the summer, I submitted a simple motion. I asked for more attention for femicide and domestic violence. The motion was adopted. That means we will all do a better job at recognizing domestic violence and creating more awareness.
One of the practical steps: the municipality will look into bringing the Stop Femicide exhibition to our town.
That is small. I know. But if I had not done this, it would not have happened. And at the same time, I also help decide on the big things. I find that a wonderful idea.
Local and tangible
I have had a fairly international career. I still do. So it feels really good to do something local. Something tangible, for the place where I live.
Six months in, my trust in how democracy and local government work has grown a lot. It is not fast. You cannot do it on your own. But it works.