Axar.az presents an article "The Poetry Of Politics" by John Samuel Tieman.

Part 3, Vote Tieman

Readers of my column know of my interest in American politics. What you might not know is my long-standing interest in municipal politics. I have decided to run for City Council in my home, University City, Missouri, an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis. I live in the Second Ward.

My regular readers are also accustomed to seeing an essay. What follows is a diary. I've purposely left out the names of neighbors who are not well-known public figures.

Some folks know national politics, some state politics. But what does municipal democracy look and feel like? To answer that, I will chronicle each week my bid, win or lose, for a four-year term in office. This retired teacher still likes to teach – And learn! -- civics.

16 November 2023

Win or lose, if my humble campaign does nothing else in these troubled times, I want it to speak to the norms of discourse and governance. What does that look like?

So I say to Jeanie, “You know what voters want? They want government to be boring again. They want polite discourse over an obscure subsection of the municipal code. They want long-winded study sessions on how The City should dialogue with The County and solve The Problem. They want politics to be boring again.” To which she responds, “There's your campaign slogan. Vote Tieman – Make Government Boring Again!”

In truth, I'm not interested in politics or ideals, nor am I interested in poems and essays. I'm interested in relationships -- and that's why I'm running for city council. And writing poems. And writing essays.

Just now, today, I think that all ethical systems come down to this imperative – to act as if there is belonging. Municipal politics compel us to cohere because we in fact do belong. We live here. It's what makes negativism and cynicism such fundamental violations. It's what makes obstruction for the sake of obstruction immoral.

Running for office has made me as idealistic as I've ever been. And I pray a lot. Who would have guessed? I also go to the gym a lot more – So Vote Tieman – I Can Use The Exercise!

17 November 2023

So Juanita asks, “Why should anyone vote for you?” Good question. Vote Tieman! But
why? Why should anyone even listen to me?

I have made a lot of statements about specific positions. Storm water problems, safer bikepaths, our neighbor Washington University, businesses impacted by COVID, et cetera, et cetera. But – Mine is a small ambition for a humble office. I have spoken, and will continue to speak, about specifics. There are, however, broader considerations.

Running for office today can be a profession of civic faith. We live in a time, 2023, and in a place, Missouri, wherein our nation's Constitution, indeed our foundational principles, are in great peril. More than anything else, more than whether I win or lose, I want my candidacy to say these simple things. I believe in representative democracy. I believe in the norms of governance that have guided this country for almost 250 years. I believe in loyal opposition. I truly believe that municipal government can be a force for good, a place where neighbors can come together, respectfully agree, respectfully disagree, then do it all again tomorrow. Win or lose, I want my candidacy to say simply – Here democracy lives – Here, in University City, Missouri, democracy thrives.

18 November 2023

Am I overly optimistic, overly idealistic? I couldn't live in a world where I couldn't hope, a world where optimism turned into cynicism, where idealism turned into despair. I was a certified teacher for over forty years. I never lost my idealism, my optimism. That's a very different thing, I must say, from a good healthy skepticism, or a clear sense of realism. Some folks think that skepticism and realism are the opposites of optimism and idealism. They're not. They're not.

19 November 2023

Many years ago, I went to an international conference of educators. A Japanese fellow was speaking of the plans for his school. He started to speak about five years into the future, then ten years … I suddenly realized this guy was speaking about fifty years from now. It's not very American to think like that, but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea.

University City is going to look very different. In five years, ten … but how is it going to look different? This may seem like a lofty consideration, but it comes down to some very practical questions like – what will Wilson Avenue look like? Wilson Avenue has been repeatedly flooded. Two neighbors drowned. Houses have been ruined. Wilson is on a floodplain. Climate change and other man-made problems have made it an impossible place to inhabit. So what do we do? Tear down the houses and make a park, that's one possibility. The city can't afford to buy all the condemned houses, but it also can't afford to let them just sit. And what do we do about the nearby shopping center? That shopping center is on a floodplain. And the next street and its houses? Five years, ten – fifty .

Fortunately, I come from the kind of community wherein I am not the only one thinking in these terms. U. City has recently had a future-looking report sent to the council, one that looks well into the future. Now it's a question of continuing, envisioning, getting the whole region to envision a future that is people-friendly and mitigates man-made disasters.

20 November 2023

When I was knocking on doors, getting signatures, I chatted with a physician. I said to him, “I'll borrow a vow from your profession. I'll do no harm.” We had a good laugh. And I got a signature. But it made me think. It's not a bad vow.

Nihilism, cynicism, obstruction for the sake of obstruction, I see so much of it in politics these days. As the poet from Ghana, John Atukwei Okai, put it – “Between me and my God / There are only eleven commandments; / The eleventh says: Thou shalt not / Bury thy brother alive”.

Next Week: Part 4, City Hall And The Five Of Clubs