Article modified 11-14-08 to include readers comments
provided here and in email.
Ongoing governance series in this
blog:
1. The
Road to Governance - short description of the process
2. Governance
in a Nutshell - list of issues and thoughts about those issues
3. Governance
September Forum - my take on the public forum in September
4. Meet
the TCID Board - provided by each member of the TCID board for us to
meet
5. Panel
Discussion- Discussion of the issues
6. The
Decision
7. Congratulations
to The Woodlands
8. Value System for May Election - a process of
determination. This article!
9. Candidates' qualifications and map into the value system. Meet the
candidates!
10. And my vote is .... and why
11. Election news
12. Election Results - what is the prognosis from here?
12. Look back on what happened. Did we do the right thing? Scheduled to be
published in 2009.
The residents of The Woodlands need to be thinking about what agenda and
platform they would like to see in the five elected representatives on the TCID
board. The election in May will be here faster than a speeding bullet! Already we have
two candidates announcing their intent to run for available positions. Both of them
are on the current board. These two candidates' terms end in May, and they want to
be among those
who determine our present and future. This article addresses only our value
system, not any specific candidates, nor any projects. Those will be articles
for the near future. This is authored in the hope that we generate a wise
comparative frame from which to choose candidates. Each candidate can have
different strengths and weaknesses, but the combined elected group should be a
working team. If there is a left hand, there should also be a right hand. To
understand the team, we also need to review the qualifications and
characteristics of those who will remain on the board until 2010.
I am looking at this in two ways which tie together-
1) What systemic
values (click) do we as residents want to guard and what other values do we
need to promote? (this article)
2) What is the candidates' position or inclination
to act on these values?
Measuring a candidate:
This is a starter for the measuring table in my mind, for which I am
beginning to write:
|
Considerations
|
Candidate 1 |
Supporting resident values
that make our community unique (value system above) |
Takes a stand on the values presented
above. We know where the candidate stands relative to our local values
system |
| Personal style of leadership |
i.e., presents an example, get things done, asks questions
before leaping to conclusions, walks the talk, ... |
| "Teamsmanship" |
Works well with others, not a loner.
Encourages credit for the team |
| Integrity |
Walks the talk, does what what has been
promised in concert with the support of others. |
| Communicative |
Keeps public aware of major issues and
stand on issues, not secretive or protective in spirit |
| Inclusive behavior |
Shares ideas, concerns, responsibility for
decisions |
| Independent and creative thinking |
Not afraid to speak out for or against
ideas or actions. Is considered a credible resource for ideas and
solutions. |
| Appreciates and leverages the diversity of people and customs |
Understands and verbalizes, when
appropriate, that not everyone sees the world the same for many reasons.
Openly shows respect for others and willingness to listen regardless of
race, creed, or ethnic background. |
Value System
I am noting my values here as a starter. These are probably incomplete and
certainly not intended to be prioritized (yet). Other residents may have different
value systems than I, but they may not be all that different. I am inviting
residents to contribute their ideas so that I can include them in this blog. You
can express yourself openly as blog comments or privately via email
(click). I am turning off the blog moderation process for this topic. This
article addresses only item #1 above. It forms a framework around which we can
determine candidates to be fit to govern us or not. If the candidates do not
support our values, how can we possibly put them into office? I believe this is
a significant part of the measuring stick for the elections.
I value these amenities:
a. Fishing on a pond or a lake. Kayaking without
interference from motor boats.
b. Walking and running the dog
c. Running and biking on the trails safely
d. Swimming in a neighborhood pool
e. Seeing a vast amount of trees and natural
vegetation everywhere I go - the living forest!
f. Enjoying wildflowers in spring and throughout
the year
h. Seeing fireflies, butterflies, resident birds,
migratory birds, squirrels, Coyotes, Deer, Hummingbirds, Bald Eagles, Raccoons
and other small creatures living in and passing through the forest. The food
supply, control of pesticides and many other conditions contribute to their
health and presence.
i. Hearing the birds sing. Hearing silence,
especially at night.
j. Having constructive, recreational
activities for our children so they are raised to appreciate the world
about them.
k. Safe roads with safe drivers so our family and
friends are not maimed in our neighborhoods.
l. Village activities - social gatherings and local
projects shared by neighbors.
These values are supported by the following:
- Assets to protect. For these I pay my association
assessments.
a. Forest. Save as many trees as possible.
Reforest as much as possible. Control the vines and continue to keep the
trees healthy. See if we can better control the spread of disease and not
lose so many of our large pines. Enforce the tree cutting regulations
better.
b. Paths. Continue to build and expand as we go
forward with build-out of the community. Occasionally remove algae and mold.
Keep them safe enough to jog, walk and ride bikes.
c. Parks. Maintain them, improve them, protect
them. Park Rangers are a big help to this end.
d. Recreational areas - keep them close enough
so that the kids can walk to them and clean enough for health and safe
havens for summertime family fun. Subsidize them if need be, but do not make
all families carry the cost burden for just a few people.
e. Ponds and lakes -
keep the bodies of water supporting ecosystems that include fish and maintain the chemistry
and vegetation around and in them, enough so that our dogs can drink the
water without us being paranoid about it.
f. Roads - keep and add to the trees alongside
and in the median of major streets. Occasionally remove the algae and mold.
g. Buildings and other
assets- sufficient office space
and class space to support educating residents in the sensible ways of living in the
forest and promoting a diverse and healthy natural ecology. Keep The
Woodlands a place for us to be proud to live and play. The Pavilion and
Convention centers are important components of The Woodlands; the
Convention Center is also important.
h. Others- almost everything
the Park and Recreation dept has is valued by residents. How about the
garden plots? They were created to encourage residents to not kill trees in
favor of gardening! A garden needs a lot of light that is not available in a
thick forest.
- Services to safeguard.
For these I pay my
association assessments.
a. Excellent fire fighting and emergency
services
b. Around the clock police protection and traffic control
c. Park Ranger patrols
d. Neighborhood Watch
e. Enforcement of deed restrictions
f. Village Associations
g. Garbage and trash pickup - we need to
expand recycling practices and provide an option to residents for added
recycling pickup.
- Environment to protect and improve -
this is why I live here
a. Air - we
must consider the air we breathe as a very important part of our
environment. With added traffic on our main arteries, we are polluting the
air, so it is worthwhile to understand the effects of the traffic on
our health. We must keep a watchful eye the air for contaminants.
b. Water - we
must monitor and report the condition of the water that our children,
animals and ourselves play in, especially the ponds and lakes.
c. Sound - if
we cannot appreciate our values through site and sound, we do not have some
significant amenities that we value. Road noise, truck air horn blasts,
truck vibrations, garbage truck pickup trucks, delivery trucks, motorcycles
are all sound nuisances. Managing that which we hear is highly
important.
d. Sight -
in public places and along our roads, we should see the forest, the animals,
not big buildings, nor shopping centers, nor concrete and steel, nor signs,
nor trash.
e. Smell - the
forest has its own smell. Let's keep it that way. No pot along the walkways
or in shopping centers or any other foul smelling drugs or garbage in public
areas.
- Finances to manage with wise strategies- it
costs money to have what we value.
a. Tax rates and appropriations -
appropriate and prudent financials is a requirement for governing.
Many of us can afford to have the amenities we demand but are willing to
forego some amenities that are not valued so highly. The whole of The
Woodlands is for the good part of the parts, and the parts are for the good
of the whole. Do not be over thrifty nor be spending unwisely. Our thrifty
household finances are expected to be honored by the governing body but at
the same time, we expect the money to be used to obtain the goals we set out
to meet.
b. Debts - we
do not want to be a community of large long term debt. We need to be nimble
in what we finance, but also need to be in a position to do what we need to
do when the opportunity arises. I see projects in the villages down the road
a bit. We will have certain debts at the onset and of course must include
that base as we go forward.
c. Partnering with the development company - we
need to include the development company as a partner in these values. The
ability of a candidate to work with the development company to achieve our
goals is imperative.
d. Partnering with contractors - we need to
continue to write and execute contracts with our values in mind. Performance
of contracts must include the strict adherence to our value system.
- Desired personal qualities of an elected official
- we want excellence on the leadership team. We expect it at work, in
school and now in government.
a. Has
integrity - does what the candidate promises and is guided
by a known value system. This provides the residents with a template of
reasonable performance expectations by the candidate, as a
representative of the residents.
b. Creative thinker - does not rely totally on
the ideas of others.
c. Questions direction, consistence of purpose.
Seeks to understand the concepts before supporting or rejecting proposals.
d. Practical - seeks solutions that are
financially prudent and can be accomplished within a reasonable time.
e. Strategic thinker - sees into the future
with long term goals and makes/supports plans accordingly.
f. Listens to the residents, speaks for them
instead of to them. Understands that residents are also very astute on
important matters and often are closer to the issues than the candidate.
