Politics is a messy business. We all know that. But lately, things have taken a turn for the weird in local government. You look at the news and see towns across the country—and honestly, across the globe—struggling with a bizarre vacuum. It turns out that well well well not so easy to find a mayor these days, and the reasons go way deeper than just "nobody wants to work."
It’s a crisis of the "middle management" of democracy. While everyone is screaming about the 2024 or 2026 national elections, small-town halls are sitting empty. In some places, they've literally had to beg people to run. Sometimes, a write-in candidate wins with three votes because they were the only ones who didn't explicitly say "no." It’s kinda terrifying when you think about who is actually in charge of your water bill and your local police department.
The invisible burnout of the local official
Why is this happening? For starters, the job description has become a total nightmare. Historically, being a mayor in a small or mid-sized city was a point of pride. You were the "First Citizen." You got a nice sash for the parade and maybe a slightly better parking spot at the grocery store.
Now? You’re a 24/7 punching bag.
Thanks to social media, a mayor isn’t just dealing with city council meetings; they are dealing with a nonstop barrage of vitriol in the comments section of Every. Single. Post. Whether it's a pothole on 5th Street or a global geopolitical issue they have zero control over, the mayor is the one who gets the digital tomatoes thrown at them.
Take a look at the data from the National League of Cities. They’ve been tracking a massive uptick in harassment toward local officials. We aren’t just talking about a heated debate at a public hearing. We are talking about people showing up at mayors' private homes over zoning disputes. Who would sign up for that? Especially when many of these positions in smaller jurisdictions are part-time or pay a "stipend" that wouldn't cover a month of groceries in this economy.
The money problem nobody talks about
Let's be real: the pay is abysmal.
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In many American towns, the mayor makes less than $20,000 a year. The logic used to be that this was "public service," a side gig for a local business owner or a retired professional. But the complexity of the job has exploded. A modern mayor has to understand federal infrastructure grants, cybersecurity for city servers, complex housing law, and public health mandates.
It’s a high-skill, high-stress job with low-tier pay.
When you realize that well well well not so easy to find a mayor because the financial math doesn't add up, the "vacancy" signs start to make sense. Young professionals with the energy to do the job can't afford to do it. They have student loans. They have childcare costs. If the choice is between a corporate middle-management job that pays $120k and a mayoralty that pays $15k and comes with death threats on Facebook... well, you do the math.
Case studies in the "empty chair" phenomenon
This isn't just a theoretical problem. It's happening in real-time.
- Silverton, Colorado: A few years back, this town struggled so much to find a mayor that the local news was essentially running "help wanted" ads for the position.
- Small-town Vermont: In the 2023-2024 cycles, dozens of towns reported that nobody—zero people—had filed to run for various municipal seats, including mayoral and selectboard positions.
- The UK Parishes: It's not just a US issue. In the United Kingdom, thousands of parish council seats go uncontested every year because the barrier of entry (and the lack of public respect) has driven candidates away.
When nobody runs, the system breaks. You end up with "accidental" leaders. Sometimes these are well-meaning people who get drafted, but other times, you get the one person in town with an axe to grind who realizes they can win by default. That's how you get local government meltdowns that end up on the national news for all the wrong reasons.
The "Nationalization" of local politics
This is probably the most depressing part of the whole thing. Local issues used to be about local stuff. You’d argue about whether the new park should have a pickleball court or a dog run.
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But lately, national partisan politics have trickled down into the local level. Mayors are being forced to take stances on "culture war" issues that have absolutely nothing to do with their ability to manage a sewage treatment plant. This polarization makes the pool of candidates even smaller. If you’re a sensible, moderate person who just wants to make sure the trash gets picked up on time, you might stay away because you don’t want to be branded a "traitor" by one side or the other.
The polarization creates a filter. It filters out the builders and filters in the performers. People who want to be "famous" or "viral" are more likely to run than people who want to be "effective."
Why the "Search" is failing
When a city does try to "find" a mayor—either through an appointment because of a resignation or by recruiting candidates—they often hit a brick wall.
The recruitment process for local leadership is broken. Most towns rely on word-of-mouth. "Hey, Bob, you're retired, you should run." That's not a strategy. That's a prayer.
We’ve seen some non-profits, like Run for Something or the Victory Fund, trying to fill the gap by training young people to run for these offices. But even they admit the "well well well not so easy to find a mayor" problem is a tough nut to crack. The pipeline is clogged. If you haven't been on the planning commission or the school board, jumping into the mayor's seat is like jumping into a cockpit when you've only ever flown a paper airplane.
And let’s talk about the vetting. In a world where every tweet you sent in 2011 is searchable, many qualified people look at the scrutiny and decide it's just not worth it. They don't want their kids to see their name dragged through the mud over a misinterpreted comment from fifteen years ago.
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The actual cost of a mayor-less town
What happens when the search fails?
Basically, the town enters a state of "treading water." Decisions get delayed. Multi-million dollar infrastructure projects sit in limbo because there’s no executive to sign off on them. City staff—the people who actually do the work—get demoralized because there’s no clear direction from the top.
In some extreme cases, the state has to step in. When a local government can't function or fill its seats, it risks losing its autonomy. You lose your local voice because you couldn't find a local leader.
How to actually solve the vacancy crisis
If we want to fix the fact that it's well well well not so easy to find a mayor, we have to change the "product."
- Pay a Living Wage: If a town wants a professional leader, they need to pay a professional salary. This isn't "greed," it's economic reality. If the job takes 40 hours a week, it should pay like a 40-hour-a-week job.
- Civility Ordinances: Some cities are starting to implement "codes of conduct" for public meetings. Not to stifle free speech, but to ensure that the environment isn't so toxic that no sane person would ever want to be there.
- Support Systems: New mayors need better onboarding. Organizations like the US Conference of Mayors provide great resources, but smaller towns often don't have the budget to send their leaders to these training sessions.
- Community Encouragement: Honestly, if you know someone in your town who is smart, level-headed, and cares about the community, tell them. Most people run for office because someone they respect asked them to.
What you should do next
The "mayor gap" is a quiet emergency. If you've noticed that your local elections are looking a little thin, it's time to pay attention. You don't necessarily have to run yourself (though, hey, maybe you should?), but you can change the dynamic.
- Audit your local ballot: Look at the last few election cycles in your town. How many races were uncontested? If it's more than half, your local democracy is in the "red zone."
- Show up to a meeting—and be nice: This sounds cheesy, but the "toxic environment" is a major deterrent for candidates. Being the person who shows up and says "thanks for doing this" can actually shift the culture of the room.
- Research local "Run for Office" workshops: Many counties offer these. They explain the filing deadlines, the paperwork, and the legal requirements. Often, people don't run simply because they think the process is way more complicated than it actually is.
- Support "Full-Time" status for local roles: If there is a ballot measure to increase the salary or the hours for your local executive, consider the long-term benefit. You get what you pay for. If you pay $0, you might get $0 worth of leadership.
The reality is that well well well not so easy to find a mayor because we've made the job nearly impossible to love. We have to make it a role that a normal, talented person would actually want to have. Until then, the empty chairs in city halls will keep piling up, and the decisions that affect your daily life will be made by whoever happens to be the last person standing. Democracy isn't a spectator sport, but right now, the players' bench is looking awfully empty. It’s time to start recruiting.