Before I decided to run for a seat on the Salem, NH Town Charter Commission (for more information, please refer to some of my other related posts), I had to ask myself a simple yet important question -
“What makes you think you are worthy of a position on this commission?”
After some personal reflection, I came up with some reasons I would like to share. All of these reasons brought me to the conclusion that I should, at the least, present myself as a candidate for a commission seat in the hopes that others town residents might agree and want me to sit on the commission as well.
- Reason #1: I am passionate about our town and it’s citizens.
Anyone who knows me knows I tend to be a - well, “passionate” – person about those things I believe in. When my wife Melissa and I moved to Salem from Andover, MA back in October of 2004, it is because we believed in this community. We believed that it would provide a good foundation for our lives, as well as the lives of our two children.
Over the course of the last four and a half years, I have not wavered in that belief. I still believe in this town, and I am committed to doing all that I can to help make it better.
Mind you, there are times when I have not agree with our decisions or direction as a community. I would expect that of any other individual, however (if we all agreed on everything, why would we need any political system to represent our beliefs?). This has not taken away from overall belief in the great potential our community has to be a great place for all, be it residents or businesses, children or adults, elected officials or citizens. It is this passion that helped drive me to run for the Town Charter Commission seat, and it is this passion that will also help in representing the interests of Salem as a whole when serving on the commission.
- Reason #2: I have some unique perspectives.
As I have frequently stated in the past, I think that a commission such as the Town Charter Commission should have a makeup that represents the diversity of interests within the community. Representatives of current government, resident base, business interests, etc should all play a role in determining the future of our town government. That being said, I believe I provide some unique perspectives that would serve the interests of the commission and our town -
- While I am a resident of our town, I am not a lifelong resident. I have had the great opportunity to live in several places in my lifetime. Those residences exposed me as both a citizen and a businessman to differing types of town and city government. My time in Florida exposed me to a “Strong Mayor” system and powerful county governments. My time in New England has exposed me to a “Town Meeting” structure. In both cases, I have personally witnessed and been affected by the pros and cons of each form of government, and it is these life experiences that can serve to aid in providing some perspective to the decision-making process.
- I have had the opportunity to travel extensively for business purposes throughout our country.While this might seem like much for adding perspective, I have had the opportunity to be able come to understand the impacts of town and city government on businesses and individuals where I have no vested interest. As a consultant, I often must spend a great deal of time with my clients and understanding how they do business. These relationships have helped to understand the impacts of government on their professional and personal lives.
- Reason #3: My professional skills serve well outside of my profession.
My career in software development has often been valuable to me outside of workplace. No more relevant example of can be found at the start of any software development project. Commonly known as the “Requirements Phase”, this aspect of software development focuses on gathering all of the requirements for the creation of software from those who will use or be affected by it.
As a software developer, there is no more important rule than the following…
”Unless you are creating software for you and you alone, you are NOT the user. You are the simply the creator of software meeting the needs of the users.”
As part of the Requirements Phase, it is essential to listen and to document the needs of the user base, be it business requirements, technical requirements or personal preferences. If this is not done, the resulting software (no matter how good it is) runs the risk of meeting the needs of its audience.
If the goal of any government, organization or body is to work effectively for a constituency, it is vital that those who make up that group have the ability to listen to, document and understand the needs of those affected. These skills are obviously not exclusive to any one person, nor should they automatically be presumed to exist in an individual simply because of their job title. If those skills did not exist for me, though, rest assured – there would be no way I could have survived in any successful fashion in my chosen field. I believe that these skills will be essential for this commission if it is to truly achieve its goals.
- Reason #4: I believe in “transparency”.
An oft-used phrase in conjunction with recent politics, I believe that “transparency” in any process is essential in order for the building in confidence of those affected by the process. In an age where technology allows us to provide access to information in so many forms, it is considered a given that those who ask the public for trust and faith will, in turn, provide that same public with access to information in support of that trust. I write to you today from my personal blog, an example of just such a form of transparency.
I have long believed in tools like blogs and other emerging social media tools (Twitter and Facebook are but two examples) as a way to provide insight into what individuals are thinking. What easier way to get to know anyone who you are imparting trust in than to learn about them using these tools? I also believe these same tools provide a way to provide a dialog rather than just a monologue. Take a look at this web site. You will see that you have the ability to comment on any individual post I make. You also have the ability to contact me from a Contact page. What better way to ask questions of me in helping you to determine whether or not I am the right candidate for the Town Charter Commission.
I have been living in this world of transparency for quite some time now. My commitment is to continue to do it, both leading up to the May town elections and beyond. I cannot think of a better way to have an ongoing conversation about the Town Charter and what matters most to the community.
I am certain that I could come up with even more reasons as to why I think I am qualified for the Town Charter Commission. I will leave that for another day and another posting, however. IN the meantime, please feel free to contact me. I’ll be waiting… :-)