INSIGHT MARQUIS WHO′S WHO SIXTH EDITION SPRING 2024 How have you navigated disruptions in your industry to remain a top professional? I have learned to put citizens with new ideas in positions, such as chairmen or chiefs, and allow them to serve as captains over their problems. I provide them with the job of telling others what they think should be done and then help them to create programs, plans or processes to make their ideas work. We have learned to give our people the opportunity to use their gifts, talents and skills, and once they do that, they under stand and have a different appreciation for what we do on a daily basis. It’s easy to complain and be disruptive, and that happens even in the classroom setting, but we have to learn how to navigate around that and incorporate new ideas into our own answers. What is the most important issue/challenge you are dealing with in your industry? Being present in every situation. This can sometimes be difficult because I can be in a room but not be present since I know I have to be at another meeting afterward. This goes along with time management when things cross over or if there is an overlap. How do you feel your industry has changed/evolved? I have seen at least three to four things that have taken place that have been helpful to us. We went through a really strong series with COVID-19, and people were a little hesitant about being involved and going out into the community as much as they would have been before the pandemic. What I have noticed, though, is that we are doing better financially. Crime has also gone down 23% in our community, and along with that, we have noticed an influx in getting people into new jobs. Employment ability here is really nice because even though we have had tremendous turnovers in some of the sectors in our community, a majority of them have not only retained people but also recruited new people, which I think is great. So, between the uptick in employment, the drop in crime and the creation of more jobs for our community, I think this has been a tremendous move. What excites you the most about your industry? What excites me most about being mayor is watching the community come together as a family to get things done. Rather than fighting with each other, everyone works together. I recently made a video about our city where I said that I love how we have a mayor’s youth council and other young people who are interested in government. In most communities, especially small rural communities, people are so quick to get away from home as they get older — they don’t want to be in their town anymore. But then we also find that people are interested in remaining in their community because they believe their community is investing in them, which speaks volumes. That makes it worthwhile to not only be an instructor and teacher but also the mayor of a city where people are thriving and surviving.
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