I agree with you about career politicians. Term limits and the power of recall goes a long way towards giving people back their government.
I disagree, though, about the influence of organizers and unions. A village council meeting packed with citizens can easily checkmate the power of lobbyists and organizers. If that fails, then your idea of castrating career politicians kicks in.
Both citizen involvement and exercising the power of the vote, including recall, will work.
It’s not what goes on in the meeting that kills you—it’s what goes on at lunches, junkets, golf outings, adult entertainment venues, gulf stream fishing trips, stadium boxes, and conferences in Vegas.