Letters to the Editor July 26, 2013

Firestone mayor: Spread the credit around

To the editor:

I love this quote from President Harry Truman: “It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit.”

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Over the course of my service as a school principal and mayor, I have held a standing offer: If anyone has questions, comments, advice, criticism or ideas for me in my leadership roles, I would set aside time to visit over coffee. The agenda is always open. We can discuss anything from local issues to the latest from Washington, D.C.

Years and hundreds of lattes later, I have enjoyed a wide range of interesting conversations.

One of my latest coffee talks stands out, and is worth mention to you.

As I listened, I became increasingly uncomfortable. I was being encouraged to consider my legacy as mayor. I was being pushed to build a new road or park that would memorialize my service as mayor. In his estimation, my tenure was uneventful and unremarkable, therefore I should build a legacy out of brick and mortar.

As the conversation went on, my concern turned to nausea.

We all know people who are driven to be the center of attention. They wiggle their way into photos and insert themselves into conversations.

They involve themselves in all sorts of committees to gather as much personal fame as possible.

Clearly, serving as a mayor includes time on stage, photos, ribbon cuttings, speeches and interviews. It also involves participation on numerous committees, boards and commissions. Given Firestone’s success, it may seem like a glamorous position ripe for personal legacy.

Let me be very clear: The credit is not mine. The members of the Town Board, Finance Committee, Planning & Zoning Commission and Parks & Trails Commission deserve the credit. Every staff member who has helped transform Town Hall into an effective and efficient organization deserves the credit. All of the police officers and firefighters deserve the credit. The citizens who organize, sponsor and participate in the numerous community events throughout the year deserve the credit. The moms and dads, grandparents and children who do their part to keep Firestone safe, clean and productive deserve the credit. The business owners, builders and developers who create jobs and economic opportunity deserve the credit. The people who work behind the scenes on Firestone’s economic development initiatives deserve the credit. The teachers, principals and school volunteers deserve the credit. The people who go out of their way to help their neighbors, pick up a piece of trash or report a crime deserve the credit. The people who contribute to Firestone, without a camera in their face or who have political ambitions deserve the credit.

Legacy? If, at the end of my service as mayor, people say something like, “between 2008 and 2014 Firestone thrived, the Constitution was honored, personal property rights were upheld, the town government served the citizens (not the other way around), tax rates were low, the town maintained a balanced budget, we resisted expansion of federal programs, fought for common-sense energy policy, supported our neighbors and handled even the most controversial issues with statesmanship … but I don’t remember who the mayor was,” I will consider my term a success.

Chad Auer
Mayor of Firestone