The Human Side of Local Government: A Reflection on the 2025 Central Texas LGHN Inaugural Conference

Friday, October 3rd, after a busy day of networking, learning, and personally engaging with my local government, I sat amongst the organizers of the Local Government Hispanic Network Central Texas Chapter Conference, a table of an incredibly varied, impressive group of people. As each of them went around the table describing the personal, emotional experiences which culminated into a long planned, elaborate, successful conference, I found myself holding a lot of gratitude. Through the last hours in which I had met these people, sat with them, learned from them, and was welcomed into their space, I was able to deconstruct my own beliefs about local government. Beliefs which I think many of us hold that perhaps our local government is bureaucratic, distant, or that it has no room for people like me. Walking away from this experience, however, and taking the time afterward to reflect on it, I can recognize that these beliefs were misguided.

The organizers of the 2025 CTX LGHN Inaugural Conference including government staff from the cities of Austin, San Antonio, and San Marcos.

The history of LGHN, its affiliation with ICMA and IHN, and the story of The Seven Samurai is one that I strongly encourage anyone who is interested to seek out on the official history page of the LGHN. The roots of the LGHN stretch deep and vast, and not just locally. Though for our purposes, I'd like to primarily focus on its current impact and mission. Formed in 1977, the Local Government Hispanic Network has historically strived to make space for Latinos and Hispanic individuals in government positions. Faced with the issue of insufficient representation and lack of professional opportunity, LGHN encourages cultured leadership which reflects the communities being lead, and it provides opportunities for Latinos and Hispanics to step into positions of influence.

At their Inaugural Conference earlier this month, I was introduced to the human infrastructure that constitutes local government. Our city staff, council members, department heads, and city managers are our neighbors, friends, family, and local advocates. The city of San Antonio in particular has always had what I believe to be a collaborative, colorful, and familial identity, and this character begins at the governmental level.

Young performers of baile folklórico at the 2025 CTX LGHN Inaugural Conference reception.

The first panel of the morning was entitled Leadership at the Local Level: City Managers on Leadership & Growth, and it featured the city managers of Austin and San Marcos, as well as the city manager of San Antonio, Erik Walsh. All three local city managers, interestingly enough, did not begin their professional journeys necessarily intending to go into government. In fact, even once Walsh did land in a city staff position here in San Antonio, he did not anticipate remaining in the organization which he says he "grew up in." Despite this, several decades into his governmental career, he was not only still in San Antonio, but one of the leaders of our city.

It takes a very unique person to work in local government. Those who do maintain a certain commitment to their communities and must create their own definition of what local government means to them. At one point in the panel, Walsh highlighted his own ideology by stating that "being city manager is not like playing golf, it's like playing a team sport," which is essentially to say that one of the most crucial aspects of such a position is people. A common theme throughout the conference and stated in a number of ways by leaders just like Walsh, was that human-to-human connection is not only a tell of success, but also a vital organ in the local government system.

Erik Walsh pictured with members of the CTX LGHN board. Retrieved from LGHN Central Texas Home | Local Government Hispanic Network

Subsequent panels on financial literacy, career progression, women in leadership, and mental wellness in the workplace had panelists touching on deeply personal topics such as trauma, upbringing, reconnecting with cultural roots, navigating personal challenges in professional settings, and the importance of building a fulfilling, joyful career. Absorbing the stories and narratives of many of these panel speakers made it easy to see my own personhood mirrored back at me. It seemed shocking in the moment: Government was a concept which had always seemed so far away from my grasp; something I could never have any sort of personal connection to let alone an emotional understanding of. Yet I found myself reanalyzing the idea of city government that I'd made up in my head over the years with every new story--an image that had once seemed almost corporate in its rigidity was slowly filled in with color and sound.

If everyone could have a similar connective experience, what would that mean for our city?

In May of 2025, during Bexar county's most recent local election for mayor and city council, not even 10% of registered voters participated (Oxley). This, in a word, was a failure. And it was not a novel one by any means. Municipal elections have an alarming trend of poor voter turnout, and it can be attributed to a variety of factors, the least of which not the widely held misconception that local government doesn't affect constituent's daily lives. Despite the amount of people who are under this skewed impression, it cannot be further from the truth.

In actuality, as Walsh himself put it, "local government is the only arm of government in this country that touches everybody that lives in your city, whether they like it or not." Local decisions regarding policing, parks, roads, and funding not only shape broad policy, but they also shape our daily lives. Zoning laws decide whether a street has homes or shops, and it decides how tall those buildings can be. Trash collection schedules ensure that your block feels clean and accessible. Working traffic lights and sidewalks are a luxury of public works departments. Your children learn from a curriculum decided by the school board. Property taxes fund schools, emergency services, and infrastructure. And despite all of this--all of your personal, direct connection to municipal government and policy--can you remember the last local election you participated in? If the answer is "no", you are not a minority, and you can start your involvement today.

A copy of the 2025 CTX LGHN Inaugural Conference event program, signed by organizers and board members.

Local government is by far the most accessible and responsive level of governance available, and there are ways to take advantage of this. By doing things like voting in local elections, attending city council meetings, volunteering for civic organizations or local boards, or simply following city government leaders on social media, you can be a part of the necessary shift towards engagement. Local government is so much more than policy; it's about people. As constituents, we make up the civic fabric of our government, even if we don't recognize it. Your city officials have to know you, so shouldn't you get to know them too?