A Message to the Qualifying Class of 2014 for Public Office
If we promise as public officials, we must deliver. If we as public officials propose, we must
produce. Barbara Jordan [1]
Today, in New Orleans
This brief message is addressed to those of
you who are seeking to run for office not only here in New
Orleans and Louisiana
Politics is not a game.
It is an earnest business.
Winston
Churchill [2]
This message is also addressed to those of
you, as potential (returning) candidates, who, having served for an
undeterminable amount of time in one office or another, if not several offices
throughout your political career, this message is for you as well. You are to also be commended and thanked,
abundantly for having made the sacrifices that you have made to your respective
communities. Your efforts, however
humble, are in no way reflective of the kind of efforts and contributions you
have made and have left an impact that cannot be duplicated, or replicated. You
are one of a kind. Your services to your
respective communities are beyond
compare. Thank you, immensely.
This message is to each of us, as voters. We owe it to each candidate, new or
incumbent, to evaluate them based on their service to the community. We owe it to them to base our votes on what
they are capable of bringing to the table to improve the quality of life locally,
state-wide and nationally. We also owe
it to ourselves to be well informed on the issues and the candidates who offer
themselves up for service. That we not
take for granted the value of our vote, that we not sacrifice our votes for the
lowest bid, i.e name recognition, dynasties, or extended political careers.
To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards
of men.
Abraham
Lincoln[3]
This message is to all of our candidates, in general, as
you each move forward to qualify for your respective positions, I hope that you
can honestly say to the American people, whether local, state or as national office holders,
that you are willing to be held genuinely accountable to all of us. I hope that you can say, that as each of you begin
your respective campaigns, that you will not just ask the electorate to vote
for you because of your last name, or your family’s name, but because of what
you have personally accomplished for your respective constituents and
communities. I ask that you not look for
a vote because you threw the most mud on your respective opponents. Please, don’t ask that we vote for you
because you have been in public service for many, many years where it seems
that your service is marked more by your length of service rather than the
quality of your service. That is totally
unfair to you, whomever you may be.
I ask that if your political service is
marked more by holding the same seat for term after term, that if you are
fortunate enough to win office again, that this be that last “last time”. I ask that as you seek to qualify yet again
for this or any other public office,
that you realize that it appears to be a great disservice to the honorable
service that your name otherwise signifies on our ballots: “I don’t know when
to step down”. I ask that you recognize
that your name, as a leader having accomplished great things in your respective
communities, is greatest when you respect the process of public service, not
because it pays you well, but when it befits those whom you represent the most. And, that if you continue to run, that you
recognize your service maybe overshadowed by your unwillingness to stand down,
and perhaps, diminishes your power as a leader to make the kind of difference
that your candidacy has always meant.
Our government is the potent, the omini-present
teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches
people by example. If the government
becomes the law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law and invites every man to
become a law unto himself-
Louis Brandeis, U.S.
Supreme Court Justice (1856-1941) [4]
I ask that you understand that political
service, if marked by an willingness to acquiesce leadership, that it strongly
suggests you no longer care if the homeless has a home, you have an office to
run for; it strongly suggests that you no longer care if the jobless don’t ever
get employment, you have a political office to occupy; it strongly suggests
that you no longer care if crime goes up, you are secure in your political
office. It strongly suggests that if the
sick and the mentally ill go without treatment, you will not be bothered,
because that is a matter beyond your leadership skills. It further suggests,
that should you continue to occupy office after office, after office, that if
not one child gets the needed education that they so richly deserve, you’ll be okay,
because your role in the political arena is well cast, and that if you don’t
make room for new ideas, or new leadership, so be it, because you’ll be well
off.
In conclusion, to each of you, locally,
state-wide, and nationally, again, you are to be commended for your undying
dedication of service to your communities.
Whether new or incumbent, I ask that you consider whether your political
contribution to your respective communities is any longer service when it is made
up years of occupation, and the difference from your beginning as a public
servant, is no different than your end, and therefore, your promise for change
at the beginning, is lost on your career aspirations rather than your
commitment to those whom you represent. This
you should consider as the perception becomes whether you are serving others,
or are you serving yourself? But as
always, it will be up to us as voters to make the final decision. Best wishes to you all.
Register to vote-2014
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