(Campaign) Promises to Keep

"Overpromising is a common practice across the political spectrum and at every level of government." - Keith Schnakenberg, professor of political science. 

I was raised to believe that commitments mean something, that telling someone you'll do something creates a sacred obligation to fulfill that promise if there's any way at all to do so. 

I believe promise-keeping is important. Too many politicians make promises that either a) they have no intention of keeping or b) they don't have the power or ability to keep. Whether deliberate deception or well-intentioned mistakes, broken promises betray the trust that voters place in candidates for whom they cast their ballots. 

Sure, sometimes circumstances change. We don't have crystal balls and as someone once told me, "The future is the hardest thing to predict." But voters want to know that if we say we'll do something, we will at least make a concerted effort to do it. 

Here are five things that I can and do promise you:

• I promise I will devote my time, full-time, to the job of being your mayor. Under our council-manager form of government, that job doesn't include running the operations of the city; it's about pushing for policies that will make the city better, building relationships with other entities that benefit the city, initiating legislation that will keep our city safe or enhance our citizens' quality of life, participating in programs that will enable planned and controlled growth, being ready to step up and take the lead in case of a disaster, and working with the council and staff to make and keep Rowlett a city we can all be proud of. 
  
  
• I promise I will stay the course and serve the full duration of my term unless physically unable to do so. Obviously, I can't promise you that I won't get hit by a truck or have a heart attack. No one can. But I can and do promise that I won't leave to seek a paid position, or resign to move out of the city or to run for a higher office, or quit because I get mad at the council or staff.
  
  
• I promise I will put the good of our city and our citizens first. That means sometimes making hard decisions that the very people I'm trying to benefit or protect may not understand.  It means listening to and considering all the input, not just the loudest voices. It means being willing to take the heat and stand up for what I believe is right.
  
  
• I promise I will be transparent about my reasons for proposing an initiative, supporting a particular side of an issue, voting a certain way on an agenda item, or taking any action as mayor. Unless I'm prohibited by law or doing so would put the city or an innocent individual at risk, I will be open with you about our policies, processes, and decisions. City business is your business.
  
  
• I promise my priorities will always be keeping you safe, providing you with essential services, and being a responsible steward of the money you pay in taxes.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
but I have promises to keep,
and miles to go before I sleep.
- Robert Frost