It’s somewhat disheartening when people show little, if any, interest in being governed at any level, especially the local level.

Yes, people will go to the polls to vote for a City Council member or a county commissioner. Beyond that, many people don’t bother to get involved in local government.

Earlier this week, the Washington City Council conducted a public hearing on the issue of changing the city charter so the mayor and council members could serve four-year, staggered terms instead of the two-year concurrent terms they now serve. One would think that such a substantial change would attract interest from the voting public.

One person showed up at the hearing to express his views. A married couple on vacation sent an email expressing their views on the matter.

The council decided not to pursue the change, but if it had pursued the charter change and the switch to four-year terms occurred, it’s a safe bet that some city voters would have complained and griped about that change. Question: where were these voters when the issue was being discussed and the decision being made?

Yes, it’s a part of life that people like to complain about something after the fact — human nature, supposedly.

People like to complain about government — what it does and does not do. But the great majority of those people don’t bother to get involved in issues that are important to them or influence them. There’s more to being involved in government than just voting.

Every year at budget time, local governments conduct public hearings on their proposed budgets for the next fiscal year, With some rare exceptions, those hearings attract few people — usually the same people who show up each year. But let those budgets take effect and see how soon and how many people with complaints about how the city, town or county are spending taxpayers’ dollars go public with those complaints.

Council members and county commissioners are elected to represent the people and give them a voice. The people they represent should use their voices from time to time and not remain silent when important issues are being considered.

Want good government? Get involved.