No one needs to know.....
"Work hard in silence, let your success make the noise"~Anonymous
Any time you embark in a new endeavor, you always have to count the costs and examine the reason for doing it. Many times in the past, more than I'd care to recall, I've gone out of my way to help someone I know or sometimes even a complete stranger in furthering their life or success only to have them turn around and bad mouth me down the line. That's the real danger in wanting to help others, particularly if you do it behind the scenes to not give yourself credit or accolades. You never really know the reaction you will get down the road.
When I decided to run for Mayor of San Marcos, it wasn't for personal vanity, fun or because moonlighting as the highest elected official of the city would be lucrative. The pay for San Marcos City Council members and Mayor is painfully low, and as such most people that run for the office are people who may not have to work independently, can afford to not depend solely on that source of income for living expenses or retirees. It wasn't because I love politics, like most people in America, I have a natural affinity to distrust "politicians" to want to become one.
Reason I did it was the countless of people who had come by my office when I worked at a bank downtown and shared personal stories of how their lives had changed the last 6-8 years before my run, and not for the better. But it wasn't a decision I took lightly either, it took me four full years (I was originally encouraged to run in early 2012 but did not declare until 2016) to not only see what a Mayor was supposed to do, but also learn the budget, meeting process, etc etc etc, and most importantly if I'd even be any good at doing the job.
The amount of behind the scenes work I did was not quantifiable. Countless hours of City Council meetings recorded and watched after work when you're already dead tired, hours upon hours of reading budgets, consent agendas, newspaper articles, and television news programs to get the heartbeat of the city; networking and forums attended on my own time and dime, as well as open houses to learn about important things affecting the neighborhoods and community. However, all of it paid off immensely when it was time to have debates or speak with community members about the vision and direction I felt, along with many other residents, that San Marcos needed to head towards.
I can't even tell you how many people would approach me after the League of Women's Voter debate, the San Marcos Young Business Professionals meeting, the Texas State University Star debate and many other places who would tell me "Your answers were very impressive, if it wasn't because (my friend) is on the ballot, I'd vote for you in a heartbeat." My favorite part of that entire experience was on election night, after congratulating one of the candidates who would be in the run off in person, I was approached by an older couple who recognized me on the street as I was walking to my car.
I thanked them for their kind words after a brief chat and they walked away. As I reached my car and opened the door, I heard the gentleman yell out my name behind me, as I turned around he said from about 80 ft away "You were the only one who had any BALLS out there!!" and dipped his head under his black Stetson hat looked down on the ground and, with his wife's grin of approval behind him, crossed the intersection and walked away into the night.
My new endeavor, again, won't provide me with any personal gain and to be honest I'm already encountering many of the usual short-sighted road blocks, not to mention it could potentially create animosity from certain circles should I decide to run for office in 2020. But like anything else that has to be done, the cost has already been counted and this is an important stand to take. Not only are 167,000 direct jobs on the line, but also the entire future of the film, television, and video game industry is on the line for Texas. Once again, the amount of behind the scenes work I've done so far is un-quantifiable and more than likely won't be fully appreciated, but it is the right thing to do. Leadership is not for the meek.
Any time you embark in a new endeavor, you always have to count the costs and examine the reason for doing it. Many times in the past, more than I'd care to recall, I've gone out of my way to help someone I know or sometimes even a complete stranger in furthering their life or success only to have them turn around and bad mouth me down the line. That's the real danger in wanting to help others, particularly if you do it behind the scenes to not give yourself credit or accolades. You never really know the reaction you will get down the road.
When I decided to run for Mayor of San Marcos, it wasn't for personal vanity, fun or because moonlighting as the highest elected official of the city would be lucrative. The pay for San Marcos City Council members and Mayor is painfully low, and as such most people that run for the office are people who may not have to work independently, can afford to not depend solely on that source of income for living expenses or retirees. It wasn't because I love politics, like most people in America, I have a natural affinity to distrust "politicians" to want to become one.
Reason I did it was the countless of people who had come by my office when I worked at a bank downtown and shared personal stories of how their lives had changed the last 6-8 years before my run, and not for the better. But it wasn't a decision I took lightly either, it took me four full years (I was originally encouraged to run in early 2012 but did not declare until 2016) to not only see what a Mayor was supposed to do, but also learn the budget, meeting process, etc etc etc, and most importantly if I'd even be any good at doing the job.
The amount of behind the scenes work I did was not quantifiable. Countless hours of City Council meetings recorded and watched after work when you're already dead tired, hours upon hours of reading budgets, consent agendas, newspaper articles, and television news programs to get the heartbeat of the city; networking and forums attended on my own time and dime, as well as open houses to learn about important things affecting the neighborhoods and community. However, all of it paid off immensely when it was time to have debates or speak with community members about the vision and direction I felt, along with many other residents, that San Marcos needed to head towards.
I can't even tell you how many people would approach me after the League of Women's Voter debate, the San Marcos Young Business Professionals meeting, the Texas State University Star debate and many other places who would tell me "Your answers were very impressive, if it wasn't because (my friend) is on the ballot, I'd vote for you in a heartbeat." My favorite part of that entire experience was on election night, after congratulating one of the candidates who would be in the run off in person, I was approached by an older couple who recognized me on the street as I was walking to my car.
I thanked them for their kind words after a brief chat and they walked away. As I reached my car and opened the door, I heard the gentleman yell out my name behind me, as I turned around he said from about 80 ft away "You were the only one who had any BALLS out there!!" and dipped his head under his black Stetson hat looked down on the ground and, with his wife's grin of approval behind him, crossed the intersection and walked away into the night.
My new endeavor, again, won't provide me with any personal gain and to be honest I'm already encountering many of the usual short-sighted road blocks, not to mention it could potentially create animosity from certain circles should I decide to run for office in 2020. But like anything else that has to be done, the cost has already been counted and this is an important stand to take. Not only are 167,000 direct jobs on the line, but also the entire future of the film, television, and video game industry is on the line for Texas. Once again, the amount of behind the scenes work I've done so far is un-quantifiable and more than likely won't be fully appreciated, but it is the right thing to do. Leadership is not for the meek.
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