You can take the "run for local dogcatcher" approach. Attend city council meetings, go to your HOA and make see of they're down to do something cool (new crosswalk or a social event or something idk) and arent obsessed with the height is everyone's lawn or whatever. Join a local parks cleanup or other volunteer org.

Basically,egt a position of minor authority or involvement in your community, and do the best you can. Eventually you'll find someone like minded. Doesn't matter about their opinions about the ukraine/Russia conflict and that kind of stuff, just gotta put the community's needs first. You'll earn a ton of credibility just by putting on the effort and you can keep tipping the scales toward his things instead of bad things.