Wait a minute here...

[Rocky Raab]

Fabs, I ran for City Council once. It was an at-large seat with no party affiliation.

The worst part of the whole thing (for me at least) was the fund-raising. I only needed a couple of thousand dollars, mostly to print flyers and signs. But even that made me absolutely blush in embarrassment when I asked people to contribute.

The actual job (I won in a landslide) was both fun and educational. I think I made a real difference, applying what I thought was common sense to new laws, zoning, prperty variances and emergency planning. I served only a single term by choice, and the city staff said I was a breath of fresh air. They deeply regretted the fact that I was moving away and had to resign.

You might consider doing something similar.