Concerned about the direction that your community is going? Want to give back for a good life? Have a great idea that will make your city or town a better place to live?

Those are good reasons to run for office in local government. The local elections may be in November but the local parties have to choose candidates in July. Local party chairs and nominating committees are working to line up candidates right now.

Connecticut is unique because of the lack of a strong county government and the necessity of numerous volunteers to keep the wheels rolling. The tradition of the town meeting is strong but there is also a lot to do to prepare for those town meetings.

Each municipality has a slightly different form of town government. Some have city managers while other have strong mayors or first selectmen. Some have municipal councils and others have boards of finance.

Groton and Waterford have a Representative Town Meeting (RTM) instead of the traditional town meeting. The size of the Board of Selectmen in local towns varies from three to five or more. Planning and Zoning Commissions and Zoning Boards of Appeal may be appointed or elected depending upon the town or city.

No matter the makeup of your municipal government, the elected volunteer plays a vital role. Unlike service in the state legislature or the federal government, service in town government provides quick feedback. If you make a mistake, the next meeting of your body is filled with residents who want you to fix the error. When you approve money to repair a road or a building or build a new school, the results of that approval are readily apparent within months.

Volunteering for an elected position will take some time from your home and family. Most elected officials have a meeting at least once a month, and there is some “homework” in the backup material provided before the meeting to ensure you are educated on what you will be approving or rejecting at the next meeting.

You will be serving with other citizens to make your community a better place to live, even if their approach is different from yours. In short, it is a very satisfying way to give back to your community, at least most of the time.

If you are interested, contact the Democratic or Republican town chairs in your community. They will be happy to hear you want to serve your hometown for the next few years.

John W. “Bill” Sheehan is Democratic town chair in Waterford.