Participation in local government often falls short of the ideal.

When a school board member in Lewiston is elected – unknowingly – by an ad hoc, write-in campaign and most other town officers face no electoral challenge, it doesn’t bode well for democracy.

But the hyper-involvement of groups in other towns suggests there’s hope for a renewed and energized interest in governance, at least as long as people are unhappy with the leaders they have elected.

The Voices of Otisfield and the United Citizens of Auburn are changing the dynamic of their governments, while ruffling the feathers of some selectmen and city councilors.

The Voices of Otisfield have formed a shadow government in the small town. They provide a forum for residents who don’t believe that the selectmen offer enough opportunities for participation. They attend town meetings and pay attention to what’s going on, reacting to selectmen who Voices’ members say have not been as responsive or as communicative as they should be.

The United Citizens of Auburn was born after a long-simmering dispute on a publicly financed parking garage turned into open warfare after the city sent out its property revaluation notices. Residents were stunned to see huge increases in the city’s estimates on the value of their home and were outraged – outraged probably doesn’t go far enough to capture the anger – by the tax increases that could follow.

An ill-advised recall campaign has been launched against a majority of the city council, including the mayor. But other things have happened, as well. The group has organized and plans to send representatives to every city council and school board meeting. United Citizens hopes to translate the anger and initial interest in the revaluation dispute into long-term activism.

Whether the commitment to civic participation can continue in Auburn after city elections in 2006 and the revaluation and tax questions are settled remains to be seen.

Perhaps it takes a perceived crisis for groups to form. Good government certainly doesn’t create the animosity that mumbling selectmen or error-prone revaluations do.

Lewiston faces its own property revaluation, perhaps with notices going out as early as March when the city council begins work on the budget. City leaders say they are paying close attention to what’s been happening in Auburn and other communities around the state and hope to avoid similar mistakes. For city residents, now is the time to get involved, to attend school board and city council meetings and to pay attention to the budget.

As city and town budgets are hashed out, knowledge is power. The most empowering thing residents can do to understand the economic and political dynamics of their community is to attend public meetings, where issues and options are discussed.

In Auburn and Otisfield, residents waited until there was something to be mad about before paying close attention. Now, they are motivated to get informed and get involved. Lewiston residents don’t have to postpone action. They can start now.