MEL FOR CITY COUNCIL
11/3/2020
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
-PHILLIPPIANS 2:3-4
You might ask, what qualifications/ characteristics do I possess that would make me a good council member…
I was blessed with curiosity and a heck of a work ethic. Those two things together helped me earn my Bachelor’s in Science from A&M-Commerce. Naturally, I seek to understand things. I will study a thing until I understand it from the inside out, and then I will seek to improve it. My main goal in just about everything I do, is to leave it better than I found it.
I guess you could say I’ve trained for this. For years, as a Certified Manager of Community Associations, I provided guidance and management support to, and had the incredible opportunity to learn from community presidents, treasurers, developers, and a whole army of talented teams and executives. I carry with me all the lessons they taught me. Spending years in an administrative role also allowed me to gain valuable insight, communicating with thousands of homeowners and municipal partners across the metroplex for over a decade. I have a knack for listening and problem-solving and think I would make a good addition to the team.
I am a team-builder. Meaning, whatever place you put me on a team, I will do my best at that position, and I will do my best to help everyone around me. I believe that a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. When you have a team, it takes on the qualities of its members, and I would like to give the city of my passion for people and for my town. I’d like to lend its leadership team the best of my abilities so we can work together to find ways to raise it up and grow it, improve it, and make it somewhere you’re proud to call home.
My experience has taught me that the success of a community is largely dependent on these things –
- The integrity, accessibility and transparency of the administration
- How well it listens to its members
- How well it adapts to change
- How well it prepares for the future
- How well it provides for its vulnerable members
What would I like to see for the city?
Now’s the time to ask questions, even if they are uncomfortable. They’re not always welcome, but sometimes, tough questions are necessary for things to change. Because a question begs an answer; and together, they start a conversation. This open dialog is, as they say, “where the magic happens,” and it’s where we will find the right answer for the town. This interchange is vital to building community. It keeps things on the level; it builds a bridge; it helps to foster trust; and it pushes forward progress, one question at a time.
Now’s the time to get transparent. You need trust to build community; and in order to trust their leadership, people want transparency. They want to be able to see that the people they’ve elected or hired to do a job, is working to their benefit. They want a looking glass to their financial reports, meeting minutes, audits, and elections… I believe information is power, and an informed public is an empowered public. People deserve for these processes to be completed fully and fairly, and to be made available by any and all reasonable means. In my opinion, we still have a way to go to put common need-to-know information in the hands of the public. #FREETHEDATA
Now’s the time to get involved. One thing is certain: growth is coming. We can’t know when or how big, but growth and symptoms of growth are inevitable. The best thing we can do is work well to direct it and harness its power for the good of the city. For the past few months, I’ve served on the Planning & Zoning Board. On the most basic level, I’d like to have input on the future direction of the town and see that we are considering changes in a rational, organized fashion. I would be honored and excited to have your vote for City Council.
