Call me old school, but when I think of civics in America, I envision a government elected by the people to serve the common good. However, my experience tends to be quite different.

We have representatives who believe their duty is to rule over us—a power entrusted to them but often misunderstood. And, as we all know, power inevitably leads to corruption. But what if we reframed our language around civics to reflect that we don’t just expect, but demand, our representatives facilitate our wishes, work toward compromise, and solve problems rather than create new ones?

I hope to raise awareness in the community that we are not interested in electing figurehead managers or plant supervisors. We want educators, facilitators, and, most importantly, listeners.