Let’s say I work as a secretary for a company. I love my job, but I have some complaints about my office — my coworkers do not seem motivated and there is never coffee in the break room. One day, I find out that my company is hiring a new supervisor and I am thrilled because maybe he will motivate the workers and bring us coffee everyday.

But shouldn’t I be concerned with bigger things regarding this supervisor? Shouldn’t I care more about how he allocates company funding and leads us as a staff rather than break room supplies?

There are some things in life you should do yourself before you expect someone in charge to take responsibility.

If I wanted to, I could bring in coffee for everyone and motivate my coworkers out of the goodness of my heart.

The same scenario is true with the August elections here in town: some worry about all of the little things a candidate can offer (that we could just fix ourselves) and they do not focus on the big issues at hand.

Some view elected officials as gods, saviors and the solution to all of our problems. However qualified and kind-hearted an official may be, they cannot make a change in us as people. Sure, they can use grant funding to beautify buildings, hire more city workers and most importantly improve the educational system. But we should not expect them to completely and magically make our lives better because so many solutions begin with us.

A mayor’s power goes as far as paperwork, but revolution and change begin in our own decisions. A mayor cannot lower the crime rate if parents do not lock up their guns properly. A mayor cannot provide more jobs to the community if we are not being innovative and creating jobs for ourselves by seeking out new business ventures.

If we call on city leaders to take on all problems and responsibilities, then we have no responsibility ourselves. If we have no responsibility, we have no obligation as citizens to be all that we can be for the betterment of the community.

I say all of this not to preach, but to remind the community of why we should vote. We should not vote because of all of the little things an elected official promises, nor ways in which they promise to help us. Instead, we should choose wisely the official that will have integrity, serve our city with a humble heart and be good stewards of money that is not their own.

Go and register for the August election, because it is far more relevant to our daily lives than the presidential election in November. And lets try, as citizens, to find ways to improve our own neighborhoods before someone ever steps into office.