I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I chose to go into public service. Sure, my Dad was the Chairman of the Planning Commission and then a Council Member in our Cincinnati suburb when I was growing up. I enjoyed attending those meetings, but that isn’t when it happened. It started because I just wanted to get involved with my amazing adopted hometown here in Liberty Lake.
Public service has never faced as stern a test as it does today. People are watching government, and with this challenge comes an opportunity. People are thirsty for quality government. They want to be reminded of that distinctly American feeling that theirs is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, a government that works for them.
I don’t do it for myself or for an extra title in front of my name. I don’t do it to get my picture in the paper or to parade around town with “Mayor” emblazoned on my jacket. I certainly don’t do it for the paycheck. I just want to do the job and do it well to get the most out of our resources for the people who live here.
A few days ago, I was talking with a friend about the jobs we do serving the public as elected officials and members of other boards and commissions. We do what we do because we care - sometimes more about others than we do ourselves. We work harder than anyone knows, and we will continue to because that is just how we are wired.