Candidate for
Council Member; City of Norwood; Ward 2

The relationship between the average citizen and their government and elected officials has never been worse. Both sides have been poisoned by decades of mistrust, poor communication, and confusion over the proper role of government.

The result is an atmosphere where, on one hand, our local elected officials have become reluctant to speak honestly, plainly, and directly to the citizens they serve. While on the other side of the divide a general citizenry has grown out-of-touch with their local government and, fed by a virulent strain of anti-government bombast from both ends of the political spectrum, has become unwilling to consider the possibility that the vast majority of our public servants actually do have our best interests in mind.

My goal as an elected official is to take what I've learned from thirty years of observing and participating in local political and volunteer activities and use it to bring government and the people it serves closer together.

On the government side it means improving communications by reaching out to individuals and groups that have a stake in the decisions we make on Council. It is not enough, for example, to simply say that committee meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend. Council need to be proactive in informing the public in general and those individuals most impacted by the issues before the committee that their presence would help us make better laws. Efforts must be made to help people understand the important role of Council Committees. Committees are where the real decisions are made, where the real discussions and debates are held, and where the differing views of individual Council members can be heard and considered before voting on specific recommendations to take to the Council floor. It is in Committee where the individual citizen can learn the most and have the greatest impact. Yet few among us understand how to best utilize this opportunity.

On the citizen's side, it means making a commitment to stepping forward and participating, even in small ways, in the process of government. It can be something as simple as a the occasional phone call to their representative or as involved as participation in a local political campaign or by volunteering with groups such as the Norwood Tree Board, the Service League, the Health Department, or the School District. Experience has shown that even the briefest exposure to the everyday workings of our local government and local organizations gives the participant a much greater appreciation for how much work it takes to run a large city such as Norwood.