Qualities of an Elected Official

[Lane Rees]

There have been a number of threads and posts regarding various elections.

When you go to vote for an elected official LOCALLY what are the three main --qualifications, skills, education, experiences, where they live, whatever -- you consider when you cast your vote?

Would be interesting to see if there is a consistent message about what our citizens consider when they vote.

 

[ckhagen]

My top 3... hmm...
#1 Articulate. If they can't articulate what it is they're thinking and want accomplished, it will never get done.

#2 Contemplative. I like to see someone who doesn't have knee jerk reactions to issues. Being able to take time to think about something, thoroughly, before forming an opinion is important to me.

#3 Removed from the system. I tend to always want to choose people who actually don't have prior experience and connections to the position they're seeking. I want to see new ideas and perspective brought to the table, not a continuation of the same old stuff if it hasn't been working. I believe if they are articulate and contemplative, they will not need nearly the amount of experience that most people think they will.

 

[rapunzel]

Vision
I'd like to hear a candidate articulate a vision of Walton County's future. I want to hear them say, specifically, what prompted them to run, and in what way they hope to change/shape the community.

Leadership
The keys to good leadership are integrity and communication skills. Leadership means fostering relationships with all the people you represent.

Issues
The key issue for our community in the next four years will be the public/private beach issue and its enforcement. During the boom, this area changed fundamentally. Before, people were drawn here because they loved the unique, artsy, laid-back, Mayberry-esque small town feeling, walkable communities, the local businesses that make SoWal the exception to the geography of nowhere that is the rule in most of Florida and the Gulf Coast's beach communities. During the boom, people were drawn here by the miraculous potential for returns on their investments. The mentality shifted from sharing this wonderful community with like-minded people to protecting the investment. Ours, ours, ours! became Mine, mine, mine! How this private/public beach issue shakes out will determine what this community will be like going forward.

I'm looking for a Ours, ours, ours! kind of person. I'm looking for someone who realizes that it is our uniqueness that will bring in more "heads in heads" and a higher market demand in the long run, and keep us from a tawdry decline like we see in other beach communities.

 

[Smiling JOe]

People running for local politics, typically don't have any voting record to show their stance on issues, and they typically don't have a voice to get to the public, other than maybe a newspaper article, published one week before the election. SoWal.com might change that somewhat. There are so many elected positions which seem rather silly to have them be elected offices, such as most of the County Offices, eg -- Clerk of Courts, Tax Commissioner, Tax Collector, Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections, etc. Also, if someone has no experience as a County Commissioner, they are likely to act in a reactionary way, until they get a feel for things. I would like to hope that the candidates running for BCC would at least attend the meetings and have some knowledge of existing issues with which the BCC currently is working, and I would like to hope that they are at least familiar with the process of operations and meetings.

My guess is that, especially in small towns, the person with the most friends and family is the winner of each race, and the incumbents do fairly well, simply because their name is familiar to the voter punching the chad.

 

[Roadrunner]

People running for local politics, typically don't have any voting record to show their stance on issues, and they typically don't have a voice to get to the public, other than maybe a newspaper article, published one week before the election. SoWal.com might change that somewhat. There are so many elected positions which seem rather silly to have them be elected offices, such as most of the County Offices, eg -- Clerk of Courts, Tax Commissioner, Tax Collector, Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections, etc. Also, if someone has no experience as a County Commissioner, they are likely to act in a reactionary way, until they get a feel for things. I would like to hope that the candidates running for BCC would at least attend the meetings and have some knowledge of existing issues with which the BCC currently is working, and I would like to hope that they are at least familiar with the process of operations and meetings.

My guess is that, especially in small towns, the person with the most friends and family is the winner of each race, and the incumbents do fairly well, simply because their name is familiar to the voter punching the chad.

Bob Hudson is doing his part in letting us know his positions on the website so make sure and at least know where he stands since he is running to replace Ms. Meadows. It is a great opportunity to ask some questions directly to him. I have a few more myself and hopefully others will too!

 

[Lane Rees]

These are great posts!

There are so many different traits of leadership but there are FIVE that are valued and most are touched by the comments in this thread:

1) Vision
2) Passion
3) Decisiveness
4) Building a team (our)
5) Person of good character

 

[Andy A]

These are great posts!

There are so many different traits of leadership but there are FIVE that are valued and most are touched by the comments in this thread:

1) Vision
2) Passion
3) Decisiveness
4) Building a team (our)
5) Person of good character

These traits are all extremely necessary but I would add at least one more that the lack of is very prevalent in our present national political spectrum...Communication skills. If President Bush had better communication skills, he might have a higher approval rating. On the local level, the same can be said of Sheriff Johnson whose communication skills seem to be totally non existent.

 

[scooterbug44]

I echo the communication skills requirement.

The ability (or lack thereof) to have a coherent discussion and good basic communication skills says a lot about your intelligence level IMO.

Plus it's nice when YOUR elected official isn't Youtube's idiot politician video of the week.

 

[wrobert]

Someone needs to take it upon themselves to encourage, if not require, every candidate to stake them out a place on these forums and answer questions. Mainly because the issues that are so dear to the citizens south of the bay or totally different then those north. Personally, I do not see how any candidate could be supported that is not willing to make themselves available. But I believe you are going to find some that would be very difficult to pin down, and probably more than one that would not even be able to operate in this sort of an enviroment.

And since communication is so crucial and desired by everyone, the elected officials should already be here, willing to speak to the citizens about what concerns them, instead of us having to seek them out. Constituent service is a very critical part of the job of any elected representative.

 

[ckhagen]

I definitely stand by the fact that no matter how much vision, determination, and good intentions you have, if you can't communicate them effectively, nothing will come of it.

Not to mention, I wouldn't dream of running for an office if I had absolutely nothing in writing about what my political philosophies, intentions, and positions were.

I think some candidates are afraid to put themselves out there for fear of being judged on their positions. At that point, it has become more about getting a job than doing the right thing for your constituents. I don't want to work for people whose interests I don't represent. It's a shame though that voters have knee jerk reactions to candidates who do express their positions, which furthers the vicious cycle.