Leadership: Awakening the Best In People

Our local "hometown" governments have never performed better and more responsibly in "doing the people’s business". A Wall Street Journal editorial (October 30, 1998) stated "Washington isn’t America -- the politics in the states and in the cities (and counties) has become strikingly productive and forward looking." Our primary responsibility as local government officials is to keep this local government initiative momentum alive and to realize the fullest potentials of our communities through leadership and stewardship.

Leadership is a dynamic process of awakening and expanding the best in people and their capacity to define and achieve positive and responsible outcomes for themselves and future generations. Effective leaders learn and master skills that engage, inspire, empower, support, and focus people on common visions, goals and priorities. Leaders also are morally principled people of integrity and character who promote a sense of community, civility and respect. They do not promote selfish pursuits, political coarseness and incivility in public affairs nor do they open, manipulate, or seek to control people. These latter attributes are the hallmarks of tyrants -- not those of leaders.

Our hometowns are the citadels of democracy because it is at the local level that the very "best" in leadership must be evident if our communities and the "American Experiment" are to be preserved and to prosper.

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