Building Stronger Communitites – How Rural Areas Can Cultivate Local Leaders

By Deborah Lynn Blumberg

From bringing new businesses to town to improving traffic flow, decisions made by local government leaders like mayors, city councilors, county commission members, and zoning and planning board officials can impact whether a community grows and thrives or stalls and stagnates.

To ensure communities thrive, cities need passionate, capable leaders, said Ben Schierer, former Fergus Falls mayor and director of civic partnerships for the West Central Initiative, a Fergus Falls-based community foundation and regional development organization focused on economic and community development and promoting civic participation in west central Minnesota.

“When it comes to a well-run, well-functioning democracy, good people are needed for good government,” Schierer said. Currently across Minnesota, “there are a lot of roles that need to be filled, and you really need people to step up and serve,” he added.

In Minnesota, in order to fill all current leadership roles in local government, one in 21 people would need to serve as an elected official in their lifetime, according to the West Central Initiative. In some rural areas, the need is even greater — one in seven must step up to leadership roles in Grant County, for example. But in recent years, fewer people have heeded the call to run for office, especially in rural communities where populations are smaller and spread across larger geographic areas. Many Minnesota cities struggle to recruit residents for school boards, township boards, and zoning boards. In the last election, when no one ran for mayor in the City of Millerville in Douglas County, the City Council had to appoint a leader.

“We’ve heard you’ve got to strong arm someone into taking your spot if you’re ready to go,” said Celeste Koppe, West Central Initiative’s rural initiatives strategist. “And we see a lot of seats unopposed.” Ballotpedia found that across the U.S. in 2024, 70% of the nearly 77,000 elections it covered went uncontested.

Part of the problem is people are wary of opening themselves up to public scrutiny in a charged political climate. Another major barrier is that people don’t know how to run for office or prepare for their role once elected. That’s where the West Central Initiative comes in. Since 2023, the organization’s Rural Democracy Program has trained dozens of people interested in running for local office in rural areas, while engaging historically excluded groups in civic processes and supporting local leaders.

Koppe and Schierer will present at the League of Minnesota Cities’ upcoming annual conference in June. Local government leaders can support initiatives like the Rural Democracy Program by creating opportunities and encouraging residents to serve on boards, commissions, and councils, they say.

Clearly advertise meetings and make them easy to access

A first step in recruiting more residents to run for office is to get them fully invested in their city by becoming more informed. An obvious way is through city meetings, but leaders must find ways to get residents in the door and keep them interested, Koppe and Schierer said.

“The way we communicate to the public is often more cumbersome than it needs to be,” Schierer said. Local leaders should clearly advertise meetings with easy-to-understand invitations. Put up posters at the local library and use technology to spread the word by posting on social media. Always record meetings and put them online, Koppe added — on YouTube, for example — so residents who aren’t able to attend can still stay informed.

Create welcoming spaces where diverse voices can be heard

In 2023, 68% of elected officials in west central Minnesota identified as male, which does not reflect the populations they serve, Schierer said. “Our communities work better when voices are representative of all of the people in the community,” he said.

To encourage more women, people from marginalized backgrounds, and individuals across socioeconomic classes and professions to run for office and join boards, local leaders need to be intentional about inviting everyone to share concerns, opinions, and ideas, Schierer said. Leaders can do this by organizing open forums, town halls, or listening sessions. Then, be open to listening without becoming defensive.

Being heard can encourage residents to turn concerns into meaningful action, like running for office or serving on a board. During his eight years as mayor of Fergus Falls, Schierer always ensured that all residents who took the time to attend a public meeting had the opportunity to speak.

Koppe added “Also put some joy in it. Make meetings accessible, make people comfortable, and make things fun and relatable.”

Facilitate more resident connections to build and nurture community

Forging connections among residents of all backgrounds will help people feel more connected and invested in their community, Koppe said.

West Central Initiative fosters these connections through its free Going Local rural democracy workshops where groups of community members come together to share food and stories. Workshops begin with a communal meal before participants learn about unique challenges rural communities face and brainstorm what they can do together to strengthen their community.

“The meal is the grounding, the coming together,” Schierer said.

Past events have happened in partnership with local League of Women Voters groups and churches. In Hoffman, a young family, residents who had moved from Brazil, business owners, a county commissioner, a city clerk, and more attended an event.

“We watched as they discussed community problems and solved some in real time,” Koppe said, “like making city council members’ contact information more accessible or identifying grant opportunities for some of their ideas and challenges.”

The first Community Conversation series, held in the City of Morris in 2024, was titled “Toward a Positive Rural Future.” The series’ three events focused on democracy, elections and civic engagement, the need for leadership in rural communities, and opportunities for clean energy investments in rural communities. Speakers included Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, rural sociologist Ben Winchester, and Peter Wykoff, deputy commissioner in the Energy Division at the Minnesota Department of Commerce, as well as local elected officials.

The group’s current Community Conversation series tackles civic literacy and the importance of local journalism. “These types of community gatherings and conversations are the foundation of good government, and I don’t think they happen enough in 2025,” Schierer said.

Reevaluate committees, and find and fuel community champions

Schierer encourages cities to take a close look at their long-standing committees and assess whether they are still addressing current community needs. If not, “you have to look at new and interesting ways to get people involved,” he said.

When Schierer served as mayor of Fergus Falls, officials asked high school students to participate on city committees for the first time. Their participation and enthusiasm for local government inspired others in the community to take an interest as well, he said.

“It’s about thinking outside the box about how you recruit people,” Schierer said. Another helpful strategy is to welcome residents onto committees who may initially seem adversarial. They can become powerful allies for positive change.

During Schierer’s tenure, he helped form a new committee, the Natural Resource Advisory Committee. Residents passionate about the environment who had never participated in city government joined.

“And as a result of that committee, we became the first Prairie City USA,” he said. “We identified 100 acres of parkland with Kentucky bluegrass to convert into native plantings that are good for the environment. The project is also saving taxpayers money since less mowing is required.”

For community members interested in running for office, the initiative’s Run- 4Rural program provides support. The nonpartisan one-and-a-half-day public leadership training program teaches participants how to run a successful campaign. Anecdotally, those who receive comprehensive training on running for office are more likely to follow through, Schierer said. And ultimately, they are more successful.

In addition to Run4Rural, mayors in west central Minnesota can join West Central Initiative’s Lead Local Mayors Network, where they share ideas and encourage constituents to engage in public service. The group meets quarterly. The Rural Advocacy and Public Leadership Program is a six-month leadership and advocacy initiative for residents interested in strengthening democracy in their rural community. It culminates in a hands-on project that addresses a local issue.

In a recent success story, Schierer met a Fergus Falls Township resident after speaking at a community hospital about Run4Rural. The resident felt her voice was not being heard at the township level.

She told Schierer, “Maybe I could run for office.”

“Of course you can run,” he replied, “and we have this training program just for you.”

She signed up for Run4Rural, ran for election, and became the first woman ever to serve on the township board. “She brought a perspective that had never been on that board before,” Schierer said. “It’s the best example of what our founders envisioned for democracy,” he adds. “It includes everyone, and it works only when everyone is invited into the process, and they participate.”

Adds Koppe, “We can’t have healthy, sustainable communities unless we have healthy sustainable local government. We have all of these diverse perspectives that we’re just starting to tap in to. We’re taking small steps forward in reframing local politics, and it’s just the beginning.”

Deborah Lynn Blumberg is a freelance writer.