'Who' matters: Courage to speak; dedication to the truth

There is new leadership in the county commission chambers -- a new chairman, and for the first time in a long time, a vice chairman of the opposite party.

And both men deserve the chance to show us that they are different, that they will lead the county with vision, intelligence and a determination to do what is best for Wayne County residents -- politics-free.

But as they take office, we feel the need to issue a caution, a warning of sorts for all those who lead and those who ask for the public's vote.

We are not just looking for Republicans or Democrats. Well, some of us are, but that is another subject for another day.

We are not just looking for seat fillers who sit by while decisions are made, then later critique those very same decisions as if they had no part in them in the first place.

We don't want people who vote party line -- or who cannot see that sometimes that line must be blurred -- or who cannot understand that a true leader listens before he or she speaks and does not speak just to fill the room with words.

We have had our fill of filtered comments, sanitized statements and public relations spin.

That's not what we elected, or hired, you for.

We are looking for leaders -- people of vision and integrity who live the principles they preach and who have the gumption to stand up when they see something that is just plain wrong.

We want leaders who think about those principles first -- before they analyze how the polls or the electorate are going to react.

And we are tuned in now to make sure that those in whom we have placed our trust are worthy of that honor.

There is a deficit that this country faces that is not likely to be filled anytime soon -- but we can still hope.

It is for leaders -- and others -- who have the courage to stand up and to say what no one wants to hear, who will stand against the crowd when the chips are down and who can create consensus where there once was only a divide.

They are the builders. They are the people who leave legacies. And they are in very short supply.

The reason they are so scarce is simple: It costs a lot sometimes to be the one who takes that stand, who tells the emperor he isn't wearing any clothes, who puts what's right ahead of what's expedient or safe.

And by "stand," we don't mean poorly cloaked politics or party-line unanimity. We don't mean monotone "yes" votes because someone told you to vote that way. We mean common sense, what's right and the knowledge that, sometimes, there is something to be learned from the other side.

There are principles to stand by -- and everyone who serves has them. But the way to accomplish change is through reasoned discourse not power grabs.

So we will wait to see what happens in the commission chambers.

We won't expect 100 percent agreement or strains of "Kumbaya" coming from the courthouse. We won't expect our new leadership to settle just to get along. We did not elect you for that.

Bipartisan doesn't mean bowing to the opposing view. It just requires considering how best to get the job done -- and listening to one another. Sometimes there will be a compromise -- and sometimes there won't. That's to be expected.

No public servant is perfect, just as the people they serve are not perfect, either.

But it is time for leaders in all walks of life to understand that this is the moment when it matters, when your community, your state and your country are counting on you.

Those words of advice we offer to the county commission should also be heeded by those who serve us at the state and national levels.

The change we need now is courage of conviction, honest discourse and the resolve to move this community, state and nation forward.

We will see just who has what it takes to answer that calling.

Published in Editorials on December 7, 2013 11:15 PM