How much time does it take to be on the Assembly

One of the things I discovered is that Assembly members can devote as much or as little time to city matters as they choose. You can simply show up at regular meetings and vote-- or you can dig into the background, talk to staff, read up on the law etc. etc. The amount of background work you can do is infinite. So there is this balance between doing nothing and devoting your every waking hour, and nobody is measuring you. Nobody is holding you accountable. You can do as much or as little as you choose (and have time for). City staff - as good as they are (and I do believe they are good) -- would just as soon Assembly members didn’t do that much and simply accept whatever staff recommenda. [And that is, indeed, what some members do. ]

And what do citizens know? They don’t know if Assembly members do their homework or dig into things. They just know an election campaign slogan or maybe the endorsement of an organization they trust. Maybe, just maybe, they contact their Assembly member and see how they respond. I hope citizens do that more.