June: A Banner Month for Good News In
Wilmore (July 97)
WHAT IS WILMORE? (June 97)
When You Need to Risk...Risk It ! (May
97)
What does the public think of us? What do they want? How do they perceive our local government? These are questions we ask ourselves every day, or should. We're here to serve our taxpayers and citizens and they deserve their money's worth.
How do we determine the answers to these questions? We ask??!!--well maybe not, but we should. Through letters, calls, meetings and a re-sponsive staff, we learn on a daily basis what our citizens want, how they feel, and what they think.
It is presumptuous of us to believe we know what the public wants and needs. That attitude is parental at best and arrogant at worst. We may not like what we hear. We may not agree with the visions of the majority, but we should not be the ones calling the shots. The public is not particularly enamored with intrusive, bossy government.
We cannot please all the people all the time, but we should try. With enormous pressure on public agencies to be responsive, fiscally responsible, and reflective of the public will, it behooves us to commit ourselves to the ethic of public service. That commitment is what we're all about&emdash;or should be.
Mayor Harold L. Rainwater