Brandon Johnson: There are many ways to get involved with your city

Throughout my campaign to represent Wichita City Council District 1, I continually spoke to everyday citizens about getting involved in community and government. Often that is much easier said than done due to the everyday obligations of life, but in this new year it is imperative that we also make this a high priority.

The inconvenient truth is that politics impacts just about every aspect of our daily lives, and local politics will have a more immediate impact in most cases than anything on the federal level. If you enjoy our amazing parks, rejuvenated downtown, the Q-Line, or maybe events like Open Streets ICT, then I would argue that political involvement is right up your alley. You may be wondering how you can be better informed and engage.

One great way to start getting involved is your neighborhood association. These small but powerful groups address the daily issues in neighborhoods. Everything from neighborhood watch, to blight and abandoned homes, to identifying improvement projects. Each neighborhood association meeting provides an opportunity to hear from and interact with the Wichita Fire Department and Wichita Police Department, and many times city department directors will share important information.

Every council district has a District Advisory Board that meets monthly and is comprised of various members of that specific district who seek to provide direct input on the development and progress of their district. Each meeting has staff reports from police, fire and other city departments. This is a great opportunity to bring concerns to this group and the council member, as well as hear information about what is going on in the area, and more importantly where you may see orange cones in the coming weeks or months.

The Mayor and City Council members also make appointments to various boards throughout Wichita to allow for even more citizen participation in deciding how we can make our city an even better place to grow a family or business. Lastly, the agenda for the upcoming City Council meeting or workshop is typically posted for the public to see via www.wichita.gov, so you can make arrangements to let council members know your thoughts and opinions on issues before the meeting. Always be sure to contact all council members and the mayor with your thoughts via email, phone or in person.

These are just a few of the many ways citizens can not only become more informed, but also ensure their voice is heard. I want to encourage everyone in this new year to build bridges with those who are different than you. Get to know neighbors you may not currently know and share your perspective, but also be willing to hear others. 2018 will be a great year for our city because of people just like you.

Let’s get to work.

This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Brandon Johnson: There are many ways to get involved with your city."