Ask Wednesday: Jill Auditori on serving in her community's local government

Local government matters

Edited by Morris Dean

Jill Auditori is a member of the City Council of Mebane, North Carolina. She is one of the most helpful people we have encountered in government, and we've enjoyed conversing with her. We are grateful that she made time to be interviewed on Moristotle & Co. [Our questions are set in italics.]

Jill, what was it about you or your background that led to your running for City Council?
    After I opened my business in downtown Mebane 13 years ago, I was drawn by a strong desire to become involved in our community, and ultimately, in local politics. I attended city council meetings regularly for many years—it is a great way to stay on top of local issues and discussions—and ultimately decided that I wanted to play a greater role in the decisions being made and the direction our town was taking.

Has serving been about what you expected, or has it been a far more enriching experience than you ever imagined?
    Serving the citizens of Mebane as a member of the City Council is one of the most rewarding opportunities I've ever had. When ideas and conversations finally come to fruition, I feel a great sense of accomplishment—not a personal victory, but rather a victory for Mebanites. This job is not, and never should be, about personal achievements, but rather reaching goals as a team, and making sure those goals are in the best interest of the Mebane community.

What surprised you the most?
    I am still surprised by how little citizen input we receive. Very few (if any) people come to our meetings; very few people contact me about our budget, or attend our budget work sessions, each year; very few people speak up on issues unless they are directly affected by them. I can only hope that a quiet citizenry translates to a general trust in our elected officials to make good decisions for our community.
    Having said that, in so many ways, we have a very involved citizenry. The community spirit and pride are obvious by participation in the many local activities and events that take place, as well as the many civic organizations. People that live here love Mebane, and so do those that just come to visit.

What has been less than expected about your experience? Surely it hasn't been entirely positive.
    It is impossible to be a good leader and to make everyone happy all of the time. One shouldn't even strive for that; ultimately, we are tasked with making decisions that are in the best interest of the entire Mebane community. Those decisions are not as black and white as I once thought—before serving on the council; there is so much more complexity to many of the issues that we face, and I struggle greatly with them. We make decisions that truly affect peoples' lives, and I take that very seriously.

What do you see as your biggest challenge as you contemplate a second term?
    The longer someone serves in office, the more difficult it becomes to stay in touch, to remember what it is like to be part of the citizenry being served. I remain connected to those I serve by staying engaged through many civic organizations—something I've done long before serving on the council, but I must keep in mind that most folks aren't exposed to the ins and outs of local government and thus sometimes demand better communication and education about the issues at hand, understandably.

What does it take in a person to participate in local government? Of course, it's a tiny fraction who do; what's different about those who do from those who don't?
    Gumption. Defined as "initiative, aggressiveness, resourcefulness, courage, spunk, guts, common sense, and shrewdness," gumption is the must-have characteristic. Of course, we also hope that those who participate in local government do so out of a desire to help improve their community and nothing more.
    What's different? Those in local government have a passion for it. It gets in your blood, the way others might feel about creating art or riding horses, and it haunts you until you have the opportunity to do it.

How important is local government? Many people tend to ignore what's going on locally and follow only national or international happenings. Do you have anything to say to them?
    Local government generally affects your daily life more so than any other level of government. If you live in a municipality, you most likely depend on it functioning properly much more than anything else—your shower in the morning uses the water and sewer systems, you create trash and recycling daily that must be collected, you drive to work on roads maintained by the city. Those, of course, are the basics—there's also the parks and recreation department that determines your children's sports options locally, sidewalks—or lack of—for you to safely walk places, special events that build a sense of community, local building codes that affect the deck you put on the back of your house, and the list goes on....
    Local government matters.

How has serving on the City Council changed your life?
    First of all, there is a sudden and sometimes jolting level of visibility that comes with the role, from extensive press coverage to participation (and oftentimes recognition) at numerous events. One becomes akin to an ambassador for his town, which is a great honor and great responsibility all in one.
    Additionally, while an uncommon one, in some ways it is like a typical job—good working relationships must be formed amongst council members, the mayor, and city staff; while we may have great differences, we must all work as a team; and while we bring many different perspectives to the table, we must all work toward a common goal of improving the Mebane community. Becoming part of the City Council means bringing into one's life a whole other set of people with whom to work and responsibilities to fulfill.

Has serving taken away time that you now regret not having spent on other aspect of your personal life?
    Serving on the City Council is definitely time-consuming, sometimes more than others. And with young children, a husband, my own business, and multiple roles in the community, I can get stretched pretty thin at times. However, as I mentioned before, it is a passion—I have no hobbies, really, so this takes the place of any hobby I could have. Furthermore, time spent in service to my community in an effort to make it an even better place is always time well-spent.

Are there any other questions you wish I had asked? Anything else you'd like to say?
    There are many schools of thought on what the role of government should be in our society. At the local level, however, government's main focus is on providing services and opportunities for its citizens, which would otherwise be unfeasible. I have a much greater appreciation for all that the City of Mebane does for me and our community, now that I have come to better understand its many functions. Do I pay my taxes with a smile on my face? No. But I definitely don't pay them begrudgingly, either.
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Copyright © 2013 by Morris Dean

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