Hello readers. Welcome to my blog. The first thing I want to say is thank you for stopping by to read what I have to say. I was recently elected to serve as Mayor of Bedford, KY in the 2014 general election. In Trimble County, there were other people elected to public office and I would like to congratulate and welcome them to the arena of being a public official.
The majority of people reading this blog reside outside the city limits of Bedford, KY, the town where I was recently elected to be Mayor for a four year term. I ran unopposed on the ballot this year, but the road to get to this seat has been long and arduous.
The Mayor of Bedford gets paid $250 a month. Since the city of Bedford uses the Commission form of government, the position of Mayor has limited responsibilities. In the commission form of government, there are four commissioners and one mayor. All the decision making powers rest in the hands of the majority with the mayor having a vote at his or her discretion. Like the mayor, commissioners have the right to abstain from voting on matters that come before the board. Each commissioner is assigned to an area of the city government to oversee. In Bedford, one commissioner is responsible for the streets and sidewalks, another one is over the operations of the sewer plant, another commissioner oversees the collection of trash, another commissioner is over the cemetery, and a commissioner is over the community center. Although each commissioner has a separate responsibility, he or she cannot make important decisions without consulting the commission in an open meeting. The mayor's responsibilities are to preside over monthly meetings, act as personnel director for city employees, execute contracts, and certify the annual budget. At this time, the city of Bedford has one full-time employee and three contracted workers in various fields. For me, I want to add some flare to the office of mayor.
The technological advances over the last few years have given people a soapbox to stand on. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. have provided the common individual with a platform where he or she can say, within reason, pretty much anything he or she wants at any time of the day. People who live rather mundane lives can communicate with hundreds and thousands of other people with a single tweet or status update to make their insignificant chores seem important and add value to their lives. I want to utilize the social networking sites to find out what the people want me to do as mayor.
From this blog, I will write a weekly update for the people to let everyone know what is going on in Bedford. The blog post will come out every Thursday beginning today. Since the commission only meets once a month, there will be three updates a month that may not have a lot of information to share. My goal is to get more people involved with their local government. Everyone knows that voting is an important right, but it does not end there. People put too much trust in elected officials when all they do is cast a vote. That mentality has to change and the change must begin on the smallest of local levels. Some in the media say that people get the type of government they deserve. It’s a truth that few people understand and that is why I am proposing that more people take part in forming or transforming Bedford into the best town in the world. I know how many votes I received to become Mayor and I can pretty much identify every voter. I am so thankful for those votes. I am so grateful to have the support of my neighbors, friends, and family members who live in my town. But that is not enough! I want action. You deserve action.
Throughout my many years as a city commissioner, I have heard countless complaints about the way the city government operates. People express a variety of opinions about how to improve the town, but when they are asked to come to a public meeting they stay quiet. I appreciate that people believe I can be their voice, but the whole truth is I can only do things the majority of commissioners agree to do. When people show up to meetings, elected officials listen to their constituents. I have personally seen cases where a commissioner said he was going to do something egregious. When the citizens showed up he passed the blame onto me and his idea was shut down. I am not going into the particulars on that case, but it is real. The point I am trying to make is that if you want something, you have to show up at the meetings and get your voice heard. If you want to sit idly by, I promise you that I will do what I think is best for the city and that may or may not be what you like.
The swearing in of newly elected officials in Bedford will take place in December. By law, it has to be done before January 1. When I have a date and time, I will provide that to you.
Please feel free to email me with any concern. After suffering a traumatic brain injury in 2007, I have a poor memory. Emails are a great way to communicate with me because I can re-read them so I know exactly what you want. If you want to meet in person, please schedule an appointment with me and I will meet you at city hall located inside the Morgan Community Center at 147 Victory Ave in Bedford, KY.
Thank you for reading my blog. God bless you, your family, Bedford, Trimble County, Kentucky, and the United States of America.
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