Politics Under the Streetlight
Yet another resident raised a hand.
"Mayor, our neighborhood is far too dark at night. Would it be possible to install more streetlights?"
Just as I'd expected. Plenty of residents wanted more streetlights for the sake of security. But I wanted to approach the problem from a slightly different angle.
"Adding streetlights matters, but there's also the option of installing pedestrian-path lighting. How would you feel about that approach?"
The residents went quiet for a moment. Then one of them raised a hand and asked,
"Mayor, what exactly is pedestrian-path lighting? How is it any different from a regular streetlight?"
I explained with a smile.
"The streetlights we usually picture are big lamps mounted high overhead. But do those actually solve every problem?"
The residents gave no answer, waiting for me to continue. I went on slowly.
"Criminology research shows that streetlights and CCTV aren't necessarily effective at preventing crime. In the movies, you always get the scene where a criminal lurks in some dark, unlit spot and suddenly pounces, right? In reality, that almost never happens. If anything, criminals tend to avoid places that are too dark."
I remembered coming across that finding once while digging through reference materials, and reading it with genuine fascination. I let the pause hang for a beat, then added as though it were a joke,
"Because if it's too dark, they're scared a ghost might pop out. Criminals are people too, you know."
The residents burst out laughing. The somewhat heavy atmosphere seemed to loosen at last.
At the same time, a few of them wore puzzled expressions.
"Then, Mayor, are you saying there's no point in installing bright streetlights?"
"Not exactly. What I'm saying is that blindly adding more streetlights isn't the answer—where you install them, and how, matters far more. Some studies have in fact found that criminals tend to commit their crimes under streetlights. Because they want to watch what they're doing with their own eyes."
Instantly, the murmuring swelled.
"There's research like that?"
"Then should we not be installing streetlights at all?"
I waved my hands to calm the room.
"No, no. My point is simply that when we install streetlights, we can't approach it with an 'it's dark, so let's brighten it up' mindset. What matters most is making the space open—a place where the eyes of others naturally linger."
"A place where outside eyes linger?"
"Yes. When people sense they might be watched, committing a crime becomes difficult. So rather than simply installing streetlights everywhere, we need to think about how to make a space something people naturally look at."
"Then where should the streetlights go?"
"We ask the police where crime occurs most often, and install lighting tailored to those specific areas. And even when we do install streetlights, we shouldn't just make them bright—we should think alongside it about how to open up the surrounding space."
The residents nodded, lost in thought. But I had one more point to make before moving on.
"And there's one more issue worth considering. Even along the very same alley, opinions about streetlights can be complete opposites."
"What do you mean?"
"For example, families raising young children will ask us to make the streetlights brighter for safety. Meanwhile, the elderly residents living on that same alley will demand we turn them off, because 'the light is too bright and I can't sleep at night.' We get complaints like that all the time."
The residents mulled it over for a moment, then nodded here and there.
"That's true. We've actually had fights over that in our neighborhood."
"The streetlight in front of my house is so bright the glow seeps in even with the curtains drawn."
I picked the thread back up.
"That's why streetlight installation demands care. Brightening everything as much as possible isn't the answer. What matters most is consulting thoroughly with residents and installing lights where they're needed, in the way they're needed. In some cases, pedestrian-path lighting is the better tool—lighting the walkway with low fixtures while sparing the nearby homes any discomfort."
The residents were wearing expressions completely different from the ones they'd arrived with.
"So, Mayor, from now on, will you move forward with streetlight installation based on our input?"
"Of course. Streetlights aren't simply a question of 'brightness.' It's an issue where safety and quality of life have to be weighed together. I'll reflect your opinions fully, consult with the police, and decide the installation locations with care."
"Well, what do you know. Turns out you can't just slap streetlights up anywhere."
"Right. Tuning them to fit our neighborhood matters more than just making things bright."
I closed with a smile.
"I'll keep thinking about how to make the nights here not simply brighter, but safer and more livable. Together with all of you, we'll find the best solution."
Yet another resident raised a hand.
"Mayor, the bus headways are far too long. During rush hour especially, if you miss one bus, you're stuck waiting thirty minutes for the next. Can't you shorten the intervals?"
I nodded and turned the question back to the room.
"Bus scheduling is something we need to think about citywide. Do you think we need route changes, or would shortening the headways be the better fix?"
The residents fell into thought. Then one of them answered.
"The route's a problem too, but first of all, the intervals are just too long. What's the point of changing the route if the bus never comes?"
I nodded again and jotted down a note.
"Increasing village bus frequency is something I've been weighing for the long term—it's one of my campaign pledges, in fact. I've already discussed the bus route overhaul and expanded village bus service with the department in charge. That said, this will require budgeting and coordination, so it may take some time. Bear with me, and I'll move forward step by step."
Even the residents who had begun by airing grievances started listening to me one by one, now that I was laying out concrete directions for solving their problems.
"Oh, so there's a way like that."
"Honestly, I figured City Hall would just decide whatever it wanted without ever talking this through with us. This is the first time anyone's actually asked."
Then a man crossed his arms, fixed me with a long stare, and said,
"But Mayor, isn't all this just going to fizzle out later? You're hardly the first person who promised to fix our neighborhood's problems."
I didn't dodge his gaze. Meeting it head-on, I answered.
"That may well have been the case until now. But I intend to do things differently. Everything raised today will be compiled and taken up with the working teams. I'll be visiting regularly. Since I have other neighborhoods and townships to see as well, it will take time—but every time I come, I'll share our progress with you."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Really? You're not just dropping by because it's the start of your term?"
"No. Change doesn't happen overnight. But I didn't come here simply to hear your voices and leave—I came to find solutions that actually work. For that, I need time to hear your stories and prepare alternatives that fit them. And I will explain the results to you personally."
The expressions in the room shifted subtly. The mood had begun as pure grievance-airing, but now there was something that felt almost like expectation.
"Mayor, honestly, at first I figured this would be one of those sessions where you listen and go. But watching you write everything down and work through it piece by piece—I'm starting to believe you."
I smiled and nodded.
Only then did the residents break into applause, offering their thanks.
If it was this easy, why hadn't the people before me ever done it?
And with that, the first town hall came to an end.
Outside, I exchanged greetings with the residents and the staff of the neighborhood community service center before we parted ways. The community service center was normally a place where everyone clocked out promptly at six in the evening, but thanks to me, they'd ended up working late tonight. I felt bad about it.
In fairness, field town halls were rarely held in the evening—I was the one who had set the schedule this way, which was how the situation had come about.
But then Chief of Staff Kang Seol-heon, who had come along with me, suddenly asks, her expression going stern. She'd been all smiles in front of the residents the entire time, and now her whole demeanor flips without warning.
"Mayor, a question, if I may. The unexpectedly strong ideas you presented were welcome, of course. But you must not pitch ideas to residents off the cuff like this. Speak only after consulting the relevant departments and completing the internal review. Otherwise, you put the departments in charge in an impossible position."
Without pausing, she pressed on.
"You are the highest decision-making authority in Yeojin City. Every promise you made at today's meeting will ultimately land on the responsible departments as a formidable burden. From now on, please confine yourself to something along the lines of 'We will review it favorably.'"
Just as I'd expected—she was bound to lecture me about this. Kang Seol-heon was a politician, but for the moment she was building her experience on the administrative side.
Of course she'd say exactly that.
Still, there was no need to get into an argument with her, so I decided to smooth it over.
"Understood. I suppose my enthusiasm ran ahead of me—it being my first town hall and all. I'll be more careful going forward."
Even as I say it, though, a different thought is running through my head.
I'm going to do it my way regardless. That's the only way Yeojin City moves forward.