12 Rules for Newly Elected Officials to Follow

Getting elected is only the beginning of your journey as a public servant. Once the election is over and you begin your term in office, there are new rules to learn, new strategies to explore, and new opportunities to pursue.

In a recent roundtable discussion, GoodParty.org heard from three elected officials about their advice for newly elected leaders. Below, we’ll walk through their 12 tips for newly elected officials. These tips will help you begin your term in office with confidence, whether you’ve just been elected to the mayor’s office, city council, school board, or another position.

12 Rules and Tips for Newly Elected Leaders

Here are 12 rules for newly elected officials to follow:

#1: Seek Out Others’ Advice

While you might come into office with big ideas and bold plans, it’s important to continue seeking out advice.

Laura Sibilia, a Vermont State Representative first elected in 2014, said that getting advice is crucial during your first 30 days in office.

“Make sure you get some advice from whoever your chair is or whoever your colleagues are that have been long-serving,” Sibilia said. “Always open yourself up for advice; it doesn’t mean you need to take it. Make sure you understand the rules wherever you’re serving.”

LEARN MORE: Listen to the full roundtable discussion with Independent elected officials.

#2: Observe Before Taking Action

Cara Schulz, a city council member in Burnsville, Minnesota, said observing your local government’s existing systems and structures is another important part of your first 30 days.

“In that first 30 days, just be quiet and watch people’s body language,” Schulz said. “I always watch people’s body language because that tells me who is important and who is listened to. People can lie, dissemble, or hide with their words, but they have a hard time doing that with their body language.”

Schulz encouraged newly elected leaders to take note of the power dynamics already at play in local government.

“If you’re in a group of people and all of staff is chatting in a group, watch where everyone’s toes are pointed, because they will be pointed at the most important person in the room — and it may not be your city manager,” Schulz said.

#3: Build Strong Relationships with Staff and Colleagues

Relationship building is another area to focus on at the start of your term. Schulz said newly inaugurated leaders should form strong relationships with both staff members and elected officials.

“Especially if you’re on council, meet with staff. Get to know your key staff members and their personalities,” Schulz said. “Get to know the people you are serving with, your fellow city council members and mayor. Do that one-on-one too, because you’re trying to figure out their personality and what their goals are.”

Marty Grohman, mayor of Biddeford, Maine, added that investing in the culture and tone of your local government is essential for making progress. Unless staff and elected leaders can work together effectively, you can’t push ahead on your policy priorities.

“I don’t feel like we can get anything done until the day-to-day is somewhere you want to show up and go the extra mile,” Grohman said.

#4: Stay Flexible

Flexibility is an asset during your campaign as well as during your time in office.

Sibilia recalled how at the start of her first term, she learned to be flexible instead of only focusing on her own priorities.

“I won railing against the property tax and how we fund education, and I’m coming in to fix things,” Sibilia said. “The first day I was there, a new colleague of mine, another Independent from the other end of the state, came and found me and said, ‘Are you from Wardsboro? I have a historian who wants to make the Gilfeather Turnip the state vegetable, and that festival is in your town.’” 

Sibilia remembered her response to this colleague with humor.

“I thought to myself, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. This is going to be my first bill, making the state vegetable?’ We did it, by the way. So you’ve got to be flexible. Keep your list manageable and plan to be interrupted. It’s going to happen all the time,” she said.

#5: Don’t Stop Connecting with Constituents

If you’ve just won your election, you might be feeling tired from months spent connecting with voters on the campaign trail. Don’t be fooled, though; it’s just as important to stay in touch with your constituents once the election is over.

Grohman described how he forges new connections in his role as mayor:

“If I get down, I get energized by interacting with people. I never stop campaigning,” he said. “You have to come close to the mayor’s office to get your car registered, so if I am getting discouraged or things haven’t gone my way, I just stand in the hall and show people the way to go get their car registered. I meet so many people that way. I also go stand at our dump. I think in fact that’s how I got elected, by standing at our transfer station, helping people sort their recycling.”

By interacting with constituents regularly, you can stay close to the issues that matter to them, hear their input, and nurture a deeper understanding of your community.

“I never let up. I’m always out there. It does get tiresome sometimes, but I really love interacting with people,” Grohman said.

LEARN MORE: Learn more about what it means to be a public servant and how to give back to your community.

#6: Keep Your Word and Be Trustworthy

Whether you’re speaking with community members or other elected officials, honesty and reliability go a long way.

“Keep your word. Don’t lie. Know your facts,” Schulz said. “Know your stuff, so that when you say something, your other council members may think they don’t agree with that, but they know that the information you’ve given is factual. It’s reliable.”

Sibilia gave similar advice for new civic leaders: “Be honest and be trustworthy. Be dependable and intentional in looking for opportunities to work with folks from across the aisle.”

Being as honest and transparent as possible is a key to more effective, people-powered governance.

#7: Watch for Opportunities to Make an Impact

Especially for Independent or third-party officials, it can be crucial to watch and wait for openings to make your voice heard.

Schulz is a Libertarian serving on a city council where diverse viewpoints are represented. She described how she makes sure her priorities receive the attention they deserve: 

“You’re working collaboratively, but also be opportunistic. I picture myself as a crocodile at a watering hole, and just my eyes and snout are above the water. If they’re dumb enough to say something that gives me an opening, I can now pounce and get something that I want, like bringing back an item that was already voted on, but now they opened the door, and I can bring it back and get a second bite at the apple. You have to know patience.”

#8: Empower Staff to Execute Policy

Part of civic leadership involves helping team members get their work done effectively. This is especially true when staff members are tasked with implementing new policies, like updating zoning regulations or collaborating with utility providers to reduce emissions.

“Make space for your staff to execute,” Grohman said. “Whatever your initiative is — for me, it’s been around homelessness — lead your community where you want to go and make it easier for staff to quietly get the work done. By your out-in-the-public advocacy, make space for your staff to execute.”

Remember, it takes your whole team to make real change happen.

#9: Always Come Prepared

Some may recognize the phrase “Be Prepared” as the Boy Scout motto. This nugget of wisdom is also an essential piece of advice for newly elected officials.

Whether you’re getting ready for a city council meeting, school board meeting, town hall, or legislative session, doing your homework ahead of time sets you up for success.

Schulz said that before city council meetings, she makes sure to read all the background materials she’s given.

“I made sure that I was the most prepared person at every single meeting. I knew my facts. I knew them forward and back. I read every little piece of everything. We get 300- to 600-page backgrounds before each city council meeting, and I read every page,” Schulz said.

#10: Maintain Your Independence

Especially for Independent leaders, thinking for yourself is critical for representing your constituents well. Don’t fall into the trap of groupthink or be afraid to offer a unique perspective.

Sibilia said she maintains her independence by asking thoughtful questions and forming her own opinions. She listed some of the questions she often asks during legislative sessions, before deciding how she’ll cast her vote: 

“I’m going to predictably show up and say, ‘What is the problem we’re trying to solve? How do you think we should solve it? How are people going to be impacted? Have you really thought through this?’”

“If we don’t have a good articulation of the problem, if we don’t have a plan that is sound and fiscally sound, if we’re not listening to the problems that we maybe created, I’m going to be a ‘no,’” Sibilia said. “Maybe I’m going to engage in getting other people to be a ‘no’ if it’s particularly egregious. But if you’ve got a problem that’s understood and we’ve got a decent solution, maybe I’m going to help be a ‘yes.’ I maintain my independence by always showing up the same way. I do not get bullied.”

#11: Look for Common Ground

Another element of effective governance is making connections across the aisle. Even if you don’t agree on everything with a fellow elected official, you can likely find common ground on certain issues or strategies.

Schulz said she often begins seeking out common ground by understanding her colleagues’ goals and motivations.

“Your goals may not coincide, but they might. It might just be the methodology that’s different, or it could be that they have a very personal reason, not a political reason, for a particular view they hold or why they’re opposing something or why they’re supporting something,” Schulz said. “Find out the motivation, because if you can find out the motivation, now you know the lever.”

From there, you can move forward with greater understanding and empathy.

LEARN MORE: Explore how Independent candidates and leaders contribute to bipartisanship as they work across the aisle.

#12: Maintain a “Happy Warrior” Mindset

Finally, remember to maintain a positive mindset, even when challenges erupt. Difficulties and crises may inevitably be a part of your time in office, but how you respond to them can make the difference between burning out and sustainably serving your community.

“It’s like starting a business. It’s tough,” Grohman said. “For me as mayor, people ask me a lot, ‘How do you keep a smile on your face?’ I make an analogy to a yoga pose. I say, ‘I have a happy warrior pose,’ because stuff just comes in all the time. We’ve had difficult things.”

With the right outlook and good self-care practices, you can keep making an impact for as many terms as you and your constituents would like.

Get More Tips and Support for Serving in Office

Are you a newly elected official? No matter if it’s your first term in office or you’ve been serving for years, these rules can keep you on the right track as you lead your community.

You don’t have to go it alone, either. Along with campaign tools for Independent candidates, GoodParty.org is building an online community for Independents at all stages of their civic journey — including elected officials.

Become part of the GoodParty.org Community today, and connect with local leaders across the United States. You’ll get access to free resources, spaces for active discussion, and the latest updates as GoodParty.org expands our offerings for civic heroes like you.

Photo by Josh Sorenson on Unsplash