Several years ago when I was at a conference, a fellow chamber director and I were discussing how to keep volunteers accountable. This director then told me a tale of several business leaders who wanted to initiate a community event on behalf of this director’s chamber, but the chamber director said with other ongoing projects that she didn’t have the time to add another event on her plate. The business leaders reassured and said, “No worries, we volunteer to do all the work.” As the event approached, the preparations were half-baked, and the event was destined to fail. I asked the chamber director, “How did you save the event?” and she said, “I didn’t. I let it go ‘off the cliff.’ They needed to see the consequences of their actions and make them accountable for the success or failure.”

This chamber director remains a dear friend decades later — but I couldn’t imagine letting an event “go off a cliff” if I thought it was heading for disaster. I understand how that failure was a teachable lesson, but in my eyes, she still condoned an event to fail and didn’t do anything to stop the inevitable.

Most of us, I think, are like me — in that knowing something will likely fail, you must do all you can to avoid that failure. Yet, some people are like my friend, who would say, “The only way for people to learn is for them to see the consequences of their actions” — that is the “find out” stage.

Sidebar: Most loyal readers know that I do not belong to the either of the two major parties, or any third party for that matter, and I have on multiple occasions voted for Democrats, Republicans and independents at all levels of municipal, state and federal government. To that end, my views in this column should not be viewed as a stance or view of the organization I run — these are my thoughts, not the chamber’s.

With that, I will say we are headed into a very interesting 18-24 months, ones that beg us to pay attention. In the elections this week, we have seen drastic changes in the makeup of some local offices and nationwide offices as well. For example, a Bowdoin College alum and self-proclaimed democratic socialist is the next mayor of New York City. Some observers view that appointment as too far to the edge of the political spectrum to be successful, while others welcome the change of something new and different. Will it work for NYC? We will find out.

Locally, several municipal councilors got elected to seats, and their campaigning leads some observers to think that they are on the edges of the political spectrum, too. In certain cases, the candidates made bold campaign claims that they now will have to pursue in the council chambers in order to be truthful to their word. I can think of two local municipalities whose partisan makeup make them decidedly blue or decidedly red. How will this work for those municipalities, their citizens and businesses? We will find out.

Rep. Jared Golden, one of the most moderate members of Congress, has just announced he won’t be running for reelection in 2026, opening up the District 2 seat. In addition to his seat, the primaries governor will soon be upon us. Candidates will spend the next eight months being loyalty tested to convince voters they are the reddest red and the bluest blue to catch the good favor of their party — only to tack back to the middle for the general election. Will the primary voters pick more moderate candidates or will the June elections look more like the elections this week when several edgier politicians were victorious? How will that work out for the vast majority of Mainers who are independent and closer to the middle? We will find out.

Now, this is not to besmirch politicians; what they do is not easy and most of us wouldn’t have the guts and polish to throw our hats into that particular ring. But few issues are solved by only talking to one side of the aisle. My hope is whoever got elected this week, for whichever position you got elected for, that you remember you represent all of your constituents and not just those on your side of the aisle.

There is little doubt to me that there will be some big policy changes as a result of these elections. Clearly, voters think it is time to give the reins to those who have big ideas. Yet it is imperative that we all pay attention to the policies and big ideas. Let’s look at the ramifications of more spending, deeper tax cuts, shuttering programs or launching new programs. Any big move has consequences — intended and unintended — and not just for the citizens but for the businesses, too.

Maybe it is time for solutions that are less moderate, but let’s be extremely attentive. None of us can afford a long-term fringe policy to stay in place if it is evident early on that it is too extreme and is harming us all. We must be willing to try things and just as willing to admit when they don’t work and end them, should that be the case. Let the facts and results lead us, not our partisan ideologies. We need our state and our communities to be places that people can live, sustain and ultimately thrive.

Let’s all pay a little more attention, and if you have concerns, reach out to your legislators and municipal leaders — constructively. If you’re a municipal leader or legislator and you want the chamber’s input on how a proposed policy will affect businesses in general or a business sector specifically, please reach out to me and I can give you thoughts or make connections.

To be blunt, our communities are too important to fail. If we see them heading towards a disaster, we are obligated to make sure none of us “go off the cliff.”

Cory King is executive director of the Bath-Brunswick-Topsham Regional Chamber of Commerce.