Yet even if his only goal were to raise issues, our mayor still signed on the same dotted line as the council over which he now presides. Keep fully informed, speak your conscience but speak truthfully. Serve the will of the majority with respect for the minority. The day candidates file for office they agree to be public servants in the truest sense of the words. When a man owes his living to a government, he runs the risk of becoming beholden to it.
Stewardship is a higher calling.
The public may not agree on the city's goals or how to achieve them, but they have a clear expectation of how their elected officials should conduct themselves. Always with courtesy, high ethical standards and the spirit of compromise necessary for effective government. Anything less betrays the constituency they represent. If anyone is unsure about the consequences of abandoning civil discourse in local government, sit down with selected videotape of Dallas City Council meetings. Over the past 20 years, infighting, blindsiding and political pandering have robbed citizens of the chance to effectively control growth and plan the city's infrastructure.