I'm in a political/professional quandary

[LauraMax]

Some of you know I work for local government. Our current town council is a mess--6 councilmembers & a non-voting mayor. For the most part they're all completely incompetent--2 of them I really like but the rest are morons who do nothing but try to push their own personal agendas. There are no alliances, 7 different agendas, meetings go on forever, people fight, argue, are nasty with each other, nothing ever gets done.

So, here's my quandary: we have elections in May. Normally it would be the mayor & 3 councilmembers but this year it's the mayor & 4 councilmembers b/c one just resigned a month ago. Basically a 7 member council could potentially have 5 new members.

The people running against them, we'll call them "the opposition," is a really great group. I would LOVE to work for them after the disastrous past year. I ran two city council campaigns & one district gubenatorial campaign early in my career & feel like I have a lot to contribute.

But if I openly campaign for the opposition my boss will be completely pi$$ed. He couldn't take any disciplinary action b/c obviously the 1st amendment gives me the freedom to publicly support whomever I want, but he could still make my life a living hell.

Campaign starts next month & I'm going nuts knowing I'll have to sit on my hands & wait for the results without being able to do anything for the people I want to see elected (other than vote for them, obviously).

Any ideas on how I could push for these folks without going public?

 

[melimcn]

I guess my question is why you care if your boss is p*ssed?

With the drunken secretary post, you made it sound as if you had a rather low opinion of him anyway. And since we now know that there is nothing he can do to you for supporting whomever you'd like, I'm wondering why it matters?

It sounds like your office environment is a mess to begin with, so will this really make it that much worse? And without suggesting that you sink to his level (if he tries to make your life hell), you've made it pretty clear that anything goes in your office. So why not simply blow him off and simply retaliate right back to anything he may try to do to make your life hell? I clearly don't know all of the details or severity of the situation... I'm just suggesting that you fight fire with fire, since the "professional" approach appears to not exist between coworkers in your office.

Maybe supporting the opposition could get you into a different job where you don't have to work with iether of them.

 

[Beavs]

Sorry but I respectfully disagree. Having worked for a municipal government with nasty partisan politics, I think it is best to remain neutral if you plan to keep your job long term (it doesn't mean you can't help the campaign in some invisible way if that is possible). Your boss will indeed make your life miserable and it will be noted by all that you chose a side (think kindergarten with adults and elections). The opposition might win the election and put you in a plum job but should the administration ever change in the future you might find yourself dealing with payback for your past "transgressions." Do keep in mind that I am being biased based on my own experience. I worked for a town clerk who was at odds with the new administration. I made a point of being neutral ended up being treated fairly on both sides of the fence. I won't even forget the appallingly childish conduct I witnessed at the taxpayers expense while I worked there.

 

[gettingstrong]

>Some of you know I work for local government. Our current
>town council is a mess--6 councilmembers & a non-voting mayor.
> For the most part they're all completely incompetent--2 of
>them I really like but the rest are morons who do nothing but
>try to push their own personal agendas. There are no
>alliances, 7 different agendas, meetings go on forever, people
>fight, argue, are nasty with each other, nothing ever gets
>done.
>
>

No ideas, but I sure hope they don't lurk on this forum, lol. ;-) Thanks for putting up the pic - you still looked pretty at 30lbs heavier - your boss must be pretty darn big now if he's 75# more! Marnie

 

[LauraMax]

LOL! My boss is HUGE.........I swear he's over 300 lbs now, his dad died of a heart attack at age 52, but do you think that stops him from drinking 4 liters of Coke a day?

 

[red_mct]

ABSOLUTELY remain neutral. My cousin is in a similar position - she is the HR director for a large city near us. She has worked through four different mayors and will be eligible for retirement in the next couple of years (which means awesome pension & benefits). She said it has not been easy but she had to keep her eye on the ultimate prize, which was staying employed in a job she enjoys.

Good luck!!

Marie