Posted 2/22/01 Leading the people can be a very difficult job today -North Branch Mayor John Pinsonneault Recently, I attended a conference sponsored by the League of Minnesota Cities and was fascinated by the comments that one of the speakers offered. In essence, after 30 years of service in the public arena, he felt that it has never been more difficult to serve in the public sector. Even as a ëgreen horn,í I would have to agree. There is an awakening of our society that finds trusting elected officials nearly impossible. Demands pressured by the pace of change have never been greater. The general public is nearly on its knees begging for leadership that can be counted upon to be fair, yet firm. Leadership that looks beyond what is good for today or to be re-elected, but genuinely attempts to work for the best interests of the citizens with regards to the long haul. Woody Allen once said, ě More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to hopelessness and the utter despair. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray that we have the wisdom to choose correctly.î Although this may be an extreme statement, there are those who feel this way. Rest assured that this is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that America has a feeling that her back is against the wall. What is disheartening is the realization that never in our history have we ever been at such an extreme of self-serving citizenship. I just watched a documentary on the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team that won the gold medal. The whole documentary evolved around one simple, most basic fact. The fact that the team faced overwhelming adversaries and they pulled together as a commitment to one another, to make the necessary sacrifices to succeed. Herb Brooks became the driving force behind this team. His attitude towards team play was instilled in his players along with the unwavering belief that anything is possible, but only if they worked together. Our community faces issues it has never faced before. Most of these issues are pressured by the accelerated pace of change. Dealing with change has always been an obstacle; it is more so now because of the rate at which change takes place. Just take a moment to think about the amount of change we have seen due to technology. There were no microwaves as early as 1980. We have more countries now than ever before, each fighting for their presence in the global market. Computers used to take up rooms; now I can write this letter from my laptop computer that is two inches thick by eight inches square. The frantic pace of change can also be seen in citizensí relationship with government through rising expectations such as new and expanded services, individualized services and technology-focused issues. These expectations cause a wide gap between expectations and current reality. It also causes more crisis management than calculated management. In essence, the accelerated pace of change pushes citizens to a less civil state of mind because they feel left out of the loop and uninformed. Can this council make a difference? You bet! First we have to rethink the importance of what we are doing and who we are doing it for. Second, we have to analyze our current plans to ensure they focus on what is really important. There is a heck of a difference between urgent and important! Finally, nothing is worth the time and effort put into it if there is no action to enforce and implement. The attributes that will provide the leadership in days and years to come will focus on integrity. When in doubt, be true to yourself. Also have the courage to know that all decisions will not be popular. Not everyone can always be pleased with decisions or there would be minimal need for government. Additionally, compromise implies that there are no absolute answers, only degrees of rightness. Finally, compassion that accepts that government affects lives; government is human, not a mechanical institution. John Kennedy once said, ě The Gross National Product (GNP), while important, does not include the beauty of our poetry, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It allows neither for the justice in our courts nor for the justness in our dealings with one another. The GNP measures neither wit nor courage, wisdom or our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to country. It measures everything, in short, except what makes life worthwhile.î Can life in North Branch be worthwhile with the many issues we face? ABSOLUTELY! As soon as we, meaning the community, make a committed decision to work as a team. Make it a great day, North Branch Mayor John Pinsonneault ©Post Review