At the beginning of the year I published a blog regarding the transitioning of our Austin City Council elections methodology bringing a 10-1 geographic representation plan to City Hall. I also emphasized the significance of our expectations for the next Mayor of Austin. Specifically, the vision and important characteristics/traits of our next Mayor. I wrote Austin is no longer the sleepy-college-town we use to be. We have all heard the statistics, every day more than 150 people move into the greater Austin area. Austin is now home to nearly 850,000 people. On a daily basis we live with the reality that we may have lost touch with our community and quality of life values of protecting our environment and neighborhoods, fostering sustainability, affordability, and embracing the multicultural diversity of our City. Yes, Austin is economically strong and we are consistently ranked among the best cities in the U.S., but when long time, native Austinites can no longer afford to live and/or raise our families here were long over due for some self-reflection and a plan of action. Fundamentally, this should be led by our next Mayor who should possess certain intrinsic abilities that will allow him/her to lead. Our community deserves a leader with a vision that will inspire and take into consideration the needs of our entire community. Access to a quality of life should not be dictated by our zip code and/or which side of I-35 we reside. Equally important are the characteristics and traits that our next Mayor should embody: Integrity, Trustworthy, Respect, Ability-to-Listen, Pragmatic, Communicator, Humble, Courageous, Innovator, Passionate, Influencer, Honest, Ability-to-Learn, Charismatic, Inclusive, Culturally-Relevant, Holistic, Savvy, Politically Reliable, and Strong. It is said that good management is the ability to move others from Point A to Point B; and that leadership is the ability to discern where Point B should be. Our future Mayor should be the one who provides leadership and direction. A good Mayor should always exhibit a vision for the future, but having a vision is no good if the Mayor cannot facilitate the discussion to the community. Our next Mayor should be a communicator and have the ability to listen. If one of the more effective leadership styles is the ability to envision the future, then communicating with citizens to join in that vision is critical. As a community we should also maintain a bias for action and accountability. We dont need more politicians who spend a great deal of time planning without implementing. This is not leadership. Confidence and respect cannot be attained without your leadership being consistent. People must have confidence that their opinions and thoughts will be heard and taken into consideration. And finally, a Mayor without integrity is not deserving of public trust. Recently Council Member Mike Martinez issued a press release announcing his impending Mayoral Campaign launch on April 5th. Along with that announcement, Martinez issued a preliminary set of policy priorities with themes regarding an Austin Affordability Index and living within our means. And highlighting important issues and community values such as equal pay for equal work, working with state legislators to increase the minimum wage in Austin, a comprehensive plan to fight poverty in Austin, working with AISD and community leaders to expand access to Pre-K education just to name a few. I firmly believe we are at a critical juncture in Austin. And Austinites deserve a Mayor that will place the needs of the people first. While it’s no secret that I have had my disagreements with Council Member Martinez, he has always kept the lines of communications open, served as an active listener and convinced me that working together we can better serve our community. His theme, UNIDOS PODEMOS (together we can). I continue to admire his leadership, passion and resolve to serving the citizens of Austin. I also have gone back to my prerequisite of the important characteristics and traits our future Mayor should embody: Integrity, Pragmatic, Influencer, Inclusive, Politically Reliable, Strong and the Ability to exhibit a vision for the future and deliver it. For me our next Mayor should be Council Member Mike Martinez and I’m PROUD to offer him my commitment and support! PROGRESANDO CONTIGO MIKE!
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 19:23:12 +0000
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