Only 8 Percent of Residents Closely Follow Local Issues. Why Not Become One of Them?

The Townie is an opinion website. The views expressed in this piece belong solely to the author, do not represent those held by The Townie, and should not be interpreted as objective or reported fact.

In an August 28^th editorial in The Daily News, Editor Dave Rogers referenced the “8 percent of residents who have enough free time on their hands to follow local politics intensely.” The context of this reference was Mayor Reardon’s reappointment of Donna Drelick, Director of Human Resources, despite the City Council voting against that reappointment. Rogers suggests that unless you’re in the 8 percent of residents who actually pay attention to local issues, you’re probably not aware of the controversy surrounding Drelick. He also advises readers to “tune out the noise and focus on the issues,” implying that the City Hall drama is merely noise.

It’s hard to tell what’s noise and what isn’t. Lucky for us, a small contingent of engaged residents are trying to figure that out. Rogers is right. Relatively few residents actively engage in local issues. But those who do, do so voraciously. They attend City Council meetings, volunteer for local nonprofits, write weekly newsletters, and pen op-eds for The Townie and The Daily News. Though his statistic isn’t rooted in polling, but rather serves as a rough estimate of engagement, Rogers unwittingly coined a term that resonates beyond a single editorial: the 8 Percenters.

As election season dawns, let’s take a moment to appreciate these 8 Percenters, and to wonder: why is it only 8 percent? Why not 20 percent? Or 50?  

Here are some real numbers. 50 percent of registered voters turned out for the last mayoral election. The rec center debt exclusion vote in May attracted 1/3 of registered voters, despite extremely high visibility of both “Yes” and “No” campaigns. Whether you see these numbers from a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty perspective, it’s clear that we can do better. The way we do better is by expanding the 8 Percent.

That doesn’t mean everyone has to eat, sleep, and breathe local issues. It just means staying curious. If you have an idea for improving something around town, write an op-ed to start a conversation. If there’s an event you enjoy every year, join an organizing committee and bring fresh ideas. To be an 8 Percenter, you don’t need to attend City Council meetings or devour local news 24/7. You just need pick an issue you care about, and engage.

Fortunately, many of these 8 Percenters “have enough free time on their hands” to provide some pretty valuable resources.

For example, Government at a Glance is a wonderful newsletter that breaks down seemingly complex municipal issues in a way that’s easily digestible. Jane’s Notes is a Facebook group that archives notes from all the City Council meetings (or you can watch them yourself via PortMedia). And of course, there’s Between the Lines, my monthly show that explores the intersection of various local and national issues, with two guests from our community.

Before coining the “8 Percenter” term in his editorial, Rogers was actually a guest on an episode of Between the Lines, where he said of Newburyporters: “5 percent of the people make 95 percent of the noise. Most people just do not care.” This declaration from the editor of our local paper should be taken as an urgent call to action; a call for more people to care. Rather than tuning out the “noise,” I’d suggest you tune in. Maybe make some yourself. If we’re lucky, 10 years from now we’ll be talking about the 50 Percenters, or hell, the 80 Percenters—an informed majority making useful and constructive noise around important city issues.  

Maybe you’ve never heard of Donna Drelick. Maybe you’re not privy to every detail of City Council meetings or controversial City Hall appointments. That’s ok. Neither am I. But are you curious? If so, welcome to the 8 Percent.  

Eben Diskin
Editor, The Townie

Resources:

GaaG (Government at a Glance) newsletter – municipal reference with fact-based explanations of city issues

City Council meetings– archive of City Council meeting recordings

Jane’s Notes– extensive notes from City Council meetings

Between the Lines– show about the intersection of local and national issues 

Mayor’s Corner– weekly update on city matters from Newburyport’s mayor

Superintendent’s Newsletter– updates on public school events and programs

Volunteer Match– local organizations looking for volunteers

Chamber Nonprofit Directory– a list of local nonprofits that always need support

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