If you are like me, you remember many people in your life who taught you.
Almost every time I set the dinner table, I remember that I know which way to point the knife blade because my scout leader Mrs. Virginia Kelly taught me. Every time I make pancakes, I remember Mrs. Eva Macon Wilson telling us in home economics that the best and cheapest batter is the one you mix from scratch, not the one that comes from a box. When I get the notion to hem a pair of slacks, I know how to blind hem stitch because Mrs. Dorothy Palmer taught me and lots of others the correct way to do it. And every spring and every fall, regardless of whether I follow this advice or not, I can hear Mrs. Blanch Cheatam reminding me that you need to wash all of your windows and curtains and do a thorough cleaning of all your woodwork at these seasons of the year.
These ladies who lived most of their lives in Henderson are now widows, and all but one remain in the houses where they lived when I was just a pre-teen. (I am now at social security age.) They are just a few of the many responsible, aging citizens that helped make Henderson a good place to live. They taught me that quality matters and how to take care of what you have. Could Henderson use a little of their good advice? Is Henderson interested in quality and taking care of what it has? What will it take for Henderson to regain and merit its former status as a good place to live for all our neighborhoods?
This is the crucial issue in the upcoming election. In many areas and in many ways, Henderson lacks quality and has fallen into disrepair. In some places, it seems to be going further downhill every day. Our elderly citizens, and those of us who are approaching the status of elderly need to know if Henderson will be an enjoyable place, a safe place, and a place that adds quality to our lives as the years pass. Will we be able to pay the assessed taxes? Will we be able to pay for the infrastructure upgrades that are needed? Will the city keep blight at bay? Will we be able to shop without fear? Will there be stores to shop in? Will we be able to enjoy clean and well-maintained streets and sidewalks? Will we be able to have security that comes with working fire hydrants? When we call an ambulance, will there be one that can come in a timely manner? Will we be assured that our homes will not be affected by neighboring properties with weeds, litter, and code violations? Will our city be solvent? Will we be assured that our future water and sewer needs are being managed properly? Will the city have intelligent, creative, future-thinking ideas to help us economically? Will the city welcome all people and ideas to the table? Will the city spend our money wisely, fairly and equitably and at the same time save enough for a rainy day? Will we be able to pay for our trash, yard waste and garbage removal along with the land fill fees and recycling? Will the city follow the law and avoid fines and litigations?
Only a complete change in our city council in Henderson will provide the assurance that these issues will be resolved in a productive way. The time for committees to study these issues is past. The time for talking about what needs to be done is over. The time to ramble on and on about the problems, point fingers and make excuses has expired. The time for delaying and double-speak, for spinning wheels and saying “We need to…” has ended. It is time to take care of what we have.
It is way past time to get to work. It takes work to take care of things, not talk. I have not seen productivity from the present city council. I have seen back-peddling, excuses, inaction, very poor decisions, and unnecessary spending, but no work. I have seen reactions to problems rather than pro-action. I have seen the clock turned back. I challenge any sitting council member to tell the citizens of one action they have taken to improve the quality of life for our citizens.
Henderson sits in the midsts of many progressive communities where growth, progress, and a bright future are the norm. We flounder. In fact, we are doing more than floundering; we are very close to sinking.
In this election cycle we have the opportunity to elect people in who have a work ethic, who have initiative, who have creative ideas, who will think, read, and research, who will not re-invent the wheel for solutions, and who will do more than just attend meetings. They will lead the city instead of being led, and they will take care of what we have before we lose it all.
Stay tuned.