Most people can name their president, yet few can name a single member of their city (11). This is odd, because local government touches daily life far more directly. It decides where a road will go and how a park is used. Once a year this small (12) must also approve the town budget, and every resident is (13) to speak at that meeting. Turnout, however, is poor. A recent (14) found that fewer than one adult in ten had ever attended. Local (15) blame the dull language of official papers, and several towns are now rewriting their notices in plain language.
When people picture an (16), they imagine grand dinners and famous guests. Much of the work, however, is quiet paperwork. Staff answer questions about visas, help travelers who have lost their passports, and pass messages between the two governments. The (17) himself may spend a whole morning reading reports from the foreign (18) back home. Because rules can change overnight, the team must combine speed with care; one wrong date on a form can be (19) for a family waiting to travel. Officers say that quiet, (20) paperwork protects far more citizens than any grand dinner ever will.