Why I Am Running for City Council
So why am I running for council?
I have a vision for American Fork, and I have a passion for public service.
That passion became a full-fledged addiction when, after two years' hard work and 30 zillion meetings, the first new playground opened in American Fork and (Mayor Barratt's words) people swarmed to it like ants on an anthill.
That's when I began to realize that I could make a difference in my community.
My vision for this community is exactly that: Community. As we brace for growth, which is a fact of life, I want us to preserve our small-town character. I want us to be clean, safe, prosperous, and neighborly. I want us to be a place where families can feel like they belong, where children can feel safe, and where we can enjoy the cultural, economic, and technological benefits of the 21st century.
Whether serving as a member of the parks steering committee, on the board of Downtown American Fork, Inc., or as chair of American Fork Neighbors in Action, I have logged a steady 10 to 20 hours per week on this vision over the past few years. For the record, that's the same amount of time our present city council members report (with one exception).
I have learned much in the process. I have learned -- and this is very important -- that I do have the ability to give this level of time without short-changing my family or other personal commitments.
I have learned about the inner workings of our city -- its quirks, its needs, its logic, its personalities.
I have learned about the practical side of the vision: planning, economic growth, management.
Gradually, I have accumulated a specialized body of knowledge that can benefit the people of American Fork.
Realizing this, I remembered the words of my good buddy Albert Einstein: "All that is necessary for evil [or apathy] to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing." You who know me understand this one thing: I cannot STAND to do nothing.
So there's your answer. Why am I here? Vision, experience, ability, time, and that little difficulty I have with sitting still.
Call it pathology if you will. My friends call it passion.
No, actually, they call it pathology. Still, I prefer passion.
I have a vision for American Fork, and I have a passion for public service.
That passion became a full-fledged addiction when, after two years' hard work and 30 zillion meetings, the first new playground opened in American Fork and (Mayor Barratt's words) people swarmed to it like ants on an anthill.
That's when I began to realize that I could make a difference in my community.
My vision for this community is exactly that: Community. As we brace for growth, which is a fact of life, I want us to preserve our small-town character. I want us to be clean, safe, prosperous, and neighborly. I want us to be a place where families can feel like they belong, where children can feel safe, and where we can enjoy the cultural, economic, and technological benefits of the 21st century.
Whether serving as a member of the parks steering committee, on the board of Downtown American Fork, Inc., or as chair of American Fork Neighbors in Action, I have logged a steady 10 to 20 hours per week on this vision over the past few years. For the record, that's the same amount of time our present city council members report (with one exception).
I have learned much in the process. I have learned -- and this is very important -- that I do have the ability to give this level of time without short-changing my family or other personal commitments.
I have learned about the inner workings of our city -- its quirks, its needs, its logic, its personalities.
I have learned about the practical side of the vision: planning, economic growth, management.
Gradually, I have accumulated a specialized body of knowledge that can benefit the people of American Fork.
Realizing this, I remembered the words of my good buddy Albert Einstein: "All that is necessary for evil [or apathy] to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing." You who know me understand this one thing: I cannot STAND to do nothing.
So there's your answer. Why am I here? Vision, experience, ability, time, and that little difficulty I have with sitting still.
Call it pathology if you will. My friends call it passion.
No, actually, they call it pathology. Still, I prefer passion.
posted by Heidi Rodeback at 11:20 PM
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