Thoughts on Being a Public Servant

I’ve said so many times during my campaign that I’m not a politician—and I sincerely mean that!

I try to keep this quote from Reed Markham in my thoughts each day: “A good leader inspires other men and women with confidence. A great leader inspires them with confidence in themselves.”

The power in being a great leader is in “tossing the ball to others” and motivating them to “run with it”. A great leader inspires others. There is tremendous power in ideas and encouragement.

This is the kind of public servant I want to be—not a politician.

So many believe that the power of a representative is in creating legislation and appropriating funds and while that is a part of a legislator’s job, a good public servant should do more than that. A public servant should use the influence of his/her office to solve problems for people on an individual basis. A public servant should utilize the legislative network to connect others to resources that will enhance their community and enrich lives.

A public servant should diligently strive to create unity and cooperation between the political parties and different groups. I contemplate this each morning and the steps I can take each day to make this a reality. We should speak despairingly of no one, but instead concentrate on understanding his/her point of view and relating how it might be incorporated into our own.

I am so tired of listening to the anger and hatred of cable television and talk radio. These negative emotions do nothing but waste our energy that should be directed toward positive efforts. Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Tea Baggers, Independents—we all have great ideas! How much more could be accomplished if we worked together in a spirit of cooperation and unity!

The key to establishing a community of diverse groups working in harmony is to NOT be anonymous. It is so easy to fear those you don’t know. And where there is fear, hate is not far behind. That’s why the haters continue to hate. If you get to know someone, as an individual, it is impossible to fear and hate them.

In a rally with a group of young people, a beautiful young lady remarked to me, “You give me hope that things can be better.” I was so inspired by this statement and I like to think about it each day. It’s the fuel that makes me want to work even harder to pass along a positive message to each person that I meet in this campaign.

January 4th, when I announced my campaign before old friends, new friends and the media, I said I was excited and my excitement grows exponentially each day. I hope that the citizens of West Texas catch my excitement and pass it on to their friends, relatives and coworkers.

I sincerely wish to represent the wonderful, warm and welcoming people of West Texas as their public servant in Austin. My daily strivings are to make that wish a reality.