Describe why you think political influence is essential in community relations essay

Today politics influences every aspect of American life, e.g. policing, healthcare and education systems, social services. Community relations is no exception. According to Steve Cohen and William Eimicke, “effective strategist must understand the politics and the array of social and economic forces” related to the community relations process (167). Politics influences not only building relationships, but also the effectiveness of the use of outside resources to support locally driven development. According to John P. Kretzmann and John L. McKnight, effective support of politicians influences community development and requires “governments to shift their role from defining problems and creating solutions to following community definitions and investing in community solutions” (367). In this case, political leaders play the role of public servants. Due to effective political influence, the percentage of local government investments could be increased and could lead to the better employment opportunities for local residents, more purchases from local manufacturing companies, as well as long-term contracts with small local businesses. In general, political influence could help to improve community relations, including community capacity building, encouraging people to act together voluntarily. People could solve their problems through political leaders’ initiatives, improve public services, meet their everyday needs and improve the quality of life significantly.