A successful high-wire act requires courage, daring and fortitude. Watching a performer walking carefully along a slender rope from one secure platform to another is mesmerizing, filled with trepidation. Underlying this sense of wonder and fear is confidence in the skill and expertise of the acrobat who understands and appreciates the danger involved.
Even the most celebrated and skilled highwire acts such as “The Flying Wallendas” have suffered the consequences of a moment’s hesitation or inattention. Expanding their repertoire from walking on a suspended wire, a “seven chair pyramid” was added to the act, resulting in an astounding visual drama but also leading to a fatal accident in 1962. Even so, the family has continued its tradition with bike rides on the wire, jaunts across Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon, even a blindfolded walk between two Chicago skyscrapers. Earlier this year, Nik and Lijana Wallenda successfully crossed New York's Times Square 25 stories up.
Tightropes, however, are not confined to circus acts and entertainment. Almost all of us walk a tightrope of some sort. In fact, some people are even asked to juggle a series of challenges – economic, social, physical, emotional, etc. – while navigating the narrow path of mitigating the foibles of our individual or collective lives. Since our personal and collective decisions are modified by passion, circumstance and perception of future gain or loss, without constant attention and focus, results can be disastrous. This is true in politics as well. In the political world, representation is a key element of our system of government. We ask our representatives to add another dimension to their tightrope walk. It’s as if the high-wire is swaying in a slight breeze that can develop into a gale-force wind with little warning.
Currently, we are watching the transformation of some political bodies in the greater Tri-City area as at-large positions are converting to district elected offices. While the concept is not new and has been previously employed with some municipalities and educational boards in the area, the 2020 political season will see others joining their ranks. The challenge is for those unaccustomed to targeted representation to use narrow electoral districts in a broader sense of unity while enjoying the clarity of campaigns closer to their personal surroundings.
Will the process bring greater representation or Balkan-like bickering? As mediator and “ringmaster,” the chair or mayor of each setting becomes a critical piece of the action. As we approach the new election cycle in 2020, contenders for many positions are beginning to formulate plans to gather supporters and entice voters. For jurisdictions about to enter or complete their district election process, choices will be a bit different. But for all of us, the coming political year will be filled with a myriad of decisions that will ask constituents to consider issues that affect them both directly and indirectly. District representation brings the added responsibility of merging local and broader concerns. As Michelle Williams’ lyrics in the song “Tightrope” from The Greatest Showman says:
“We are walking the tightrope
Never sure, never know how far we could fall”