OPINION: I’m not running in 2026 election — but maybe you should

When I first considered public service, I did it with fear and uncertainty. In 2020, I applied for a school board appointment and didn’t get it, but the process opened my eyes. I realized that everyday people, especially young moms like me, were largely absent from local decision-making. I wanted my daughters to grow up in a community where ordinary citizens believe they belong in the rooms where decisions are made. So in 2022, I ran for a seat on the County Commission.

When I walked into my first meeting I felt like an outsider, and I was. I was the youngest commissioner, one of only five women on a 25-member body, and I had no party backing me. I left that first meeting in tears. 

But I kept showing up. I asked questions. I listened. I made mistakes and tried to learn from them. Over time, the work became less about proving I belonged and more about building trust and contributing where I could: One vote, one conversation, one relationship at a time. And slowly, people I once saw as opponents became colleagues and peers. Politics became more human.

The work hasn’t been glamorous. It has required long days and thick skin. I’ve missed moments with my kids because I was at a Commission meeting, and I’ve missed Commission meetings because my kids needed me more. That constant balancing act isn’t easy. But it reminded me that public service doesn’t sit separate from our ordinary lives. It’s shaped by them.

When you’ve rushed from school pickup to a budget discussion, or listened to public concerns while helping with homework, you carry that lived experience with you. When you’ve squeezed in a meeting on your lunch break or gone from a late shift straight to a committee vote, you bring a different kind of insight to the table. You see parks and schools through your children’s eyes. You understand childcare shortages because you’ve lived the scramble. You understand workforce pressures, transportation challenges, and community needs because they are woven into your everyday life, not abstract policy ideas.

Local government is at its best when it includes the people who feel its impact most directly. Lived experience matters. It has shaped the way I’ve approached this role, and it will shape the way I continue to serve, even outside of elected office.

Now, as my term nears its end, I hope others will consider stepping forward too. Local government needs servants who care more about people than power. We need regular, everyday folks who care enough about this community to work to make it better. We need people who answer to their neighbors, not to a party or donor list. 

If you’ve ever wondered whether you could run for public office, you can. If you’ve ever questioned whether your perspective matters, it does. If you’ve ever thought, “Someone like me doesn’t run for office,” let me gently suggest that maybe someone like you is exactly who we need.

I’m not running in next year’s County election.
But maybe you should.

Olivia Abernathy has served on the Madison County Commission representing District 2 since being elected in 2022. Guest columns and letters to the editor are welcome at The Jackson Post and can be sent to brandon@jacksonpost.news.