Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
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Notes -
I think the one of the hidden major issues behind small-scale corruption is one of knowledge. The simple fact of the matter is that, for example, a real estate businessman on the city council will know more about city and country rules about building and zoning than fellow members, unless they try very hard to educate themselves. Thus the businessman, despite some ethical issues, is going to present as more of an "expert".
My related idea would be to maybe make a few selected statistics printed in the voter's guide right alongside the candidates, so people can look for themselves at the median city rent or total housing capacity over time and factor that into their voting. Maybe there are other alignment solutions, like requiring conflict of interest disclosures by candidates?
Rewarding representatives for hitting certain number targets seems like not a horrible idea, but I think that would run some of the issues inherent in making local government run more like a corporation. Sure, there are more efficiencies, but it also runs the risk of other types of misalignment. Choosing the right benchmarks would be a significant undertaking.
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