The Hammer or The Nail

     Hello folks. It’s been a couple of weeks since I last wrote to you. It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for me, as I have been to a three day conference for newly elected officials. Kentucky League of Cities puts on the “City Officials Academy”  to help educate newly elected and/or reelected city officials on what powers they have or rather the powers they don’t have.

     I will spare you the details of the information I learned because it is mind numbingly boring, and that’s if you’re eager to learn about it. In all fairness, KLC did a pretty good job of keeping it interesting enough that I didn’t fall asleep once in class. If you know me, you’ll know I am easily distracted and get bored pretty quick. However, I have a town to consider now so I fueled up with coffee and stayed wide-eyed and bushy tailed. Much of the information I learned can be used to help Bedford. I have to caution those who want Bedford to be a better place because that means there will be changes. Changes are not easy and sometimes painful. God knows, I understand that better than most.

     There are many critics of elected officials. I am one of them. Just ask me sometime. But the cement that binds every single elected official is the reality that we are accountable to the people we represent. We have to be great sales people if we ever want to pass any kind of legislation. Just look at President Obama, can you imagine him on a used car lot? I believe he could sell a car without an engine and on cinder blocks as a high speed sports car. So what does that do for the people? Some would buy that car without regard of the cost and work tirelessly to make it run. And even when they were faced with undeniable defeat, they would insist that the car just needs more gas. Others might see things at face value and call the sales person out and refuse to buy the car. While a few will stand there scratching their chins wondering if the car really can be the sports car they are being led to believe.  All in all, being a politician is similar to being a sales person.

     So here I am, I have dreams. I have visions of what I would like to see in the little town of Bedford. I am sure every elected official can say the same about their town, county, district, state, or country. The trick is coming up with a way to communicate the vision in such a way that people will want to join in the cause. I tell people, I am focused on the future.  I have to admit that almost every idea that I come up with is not new, but the people resisted change. If you think about it you will know the most often used phrase, “That’s not how we do it here.”

     “We’ve never done that before.”

      “The last person who tried that didn’t get re-elected.”

      And my personal favorite, “You’re the first (or only) person to complain.”

     When you hear those words, you know you are scratching the surface of something much bigger.  A smart person would drop the issue. I have been accused of many things, but smart or intelligent is most certainly not one of them.

     Going to the KLC conference did enlighten me on the reality that my ideas are not unique. They are essential to every community, big or small. It all comes down to planning. What do we plan? If we don’t plan, that is a plan to fail. Everyone is familiar with the old adage that if you choose not to decide you still have made a choice. That may be words from a RUSH song, yeah I think it is.

     Anyway, not planning is the same as agreeing not to plan. The hard part about planning is there is a lot of effort put into ideas about the unknown. Sure we can look at sophisticated demographic studies and trends relating to growth potential. But I like to think about it all differently. Let’s say you saw a glimpse into the future that you were going to die of a heart attack in ten years. Would you do a self-assessment and start trying to make healthier life choices and try to change that outcome? I most certainly would do everything I can to change it. Speaking of Bedford and Trimble County, look over the last ten years and count how many loved ones you have lost. Who has come along to fill their shoes? No one. Who is living in their house? AH, now that is a deep question isn’t it? Because some families choose to sell their loved ones house and property, some choose to rent it out. Either way, change has taken place.

     I will wrap it up with this question, do you want to be the hammer or the nail? I want to hear from you. Our opinions may differ and that is what is great about our country. We can disagree and it is healthy to have debates. As long as we can agree that personal attacks be left out of the conversation. We don’t have to like one another, but if you live in Bedford-we should be talking about what this area will be like when we’re gone. Who is gonna move into our houses? Where will our children live when they grow up?

      Thank you for reading my blog today. God Bless You! And as for the sickness I described in my last blog post, I am getting better but I have a long way to go. I have gain 25 pounds since Christmas and I don’t have the motivation or energy to do anything about it. So, please, keep those prayers coming.