The world is full of aspiring political leaders but sadly, very few live up to the leadership ideals. In fact, many political leaders seem to severely lack some of the most important leadership qualities, such as integrity and accountability. It is no coincidence that for many people, the word “politician” has such negative connotations! However, history – and present day – shows us that there are still a few who come close to the leadership ideals and who are good examples of an effective political leader.
Building this kind of leadership has to start at the local level, so we support national- and state-based progressive organizations as they build collaborative leadership pipelines across the country. We help states identify new and emerging activists and leaders, train them to explore and advance their community leadership in a multitude of ways, and engage elected officials who are interested in co-governing with community organizations on the ground.
We believe that local organizations must be at the center of this effort to surface, recruit, and support civic leaders because they have the relationships and strategic perspective on opportunities. Our role is to provide the expert training, tools, and technical assistance that are extremely difficult to develop and resource at the local level. While we are training and empowering today’s leaders and candidates, we are also building the bench for the future by developing diverse, progressive champions at the municipal level. We’re opening doors for those who never thought their leadership was possible, and teaching valuable electoral skills to both candidates and campaign staff.
Key words: Politician, Leadership, Voter, Candidates.
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