Last week, I had an opportunity to speak to a Government class at Downers Grove South High School. I get an invitation at least once a semester from one of our local schools to sit in on a panel discussion as a representative of a local governmental body. On my most recent panel at DGS, we had a city administrator, school board president and a state representative which gave students a chance to measure the similarities and differences of state government versus local government. As a former Government instructor, I always enjoy the opportunity to be in a classroom, whether it’s a junior or senior high school, and this latest visit proved to be one of my most memorable visits.
I always go into these visits with the idea of not just speaking about the structure of local government; my goal is to move young people to become participants in their local government and in their local community. During this recent visit, a student’s question provided me with an opportunity to explain why I became involved in my community. He asked why I ran for office; what motivated me to not only take on the responsibility of running a city government but to also expose myself to all the negative aspects of elective office. I responded to his question by explaining that throughout my career as a high school teacher and administrator, and now as a public official, my motivation always came from my knowing that I was in a position to possibly touch a life in a positive way. I also mentioned that if we each look at our community and see how it has enriched our lives, that we have a responsibility to give something back to our community.
I explained to the class that as difficult as my mayoral role might be, and the challenges that I face, I believe as Ken Poirot states, “Success is to wake up each morning and consciously decide that today will be the best day of your life.” While there will be days and weeks with more challenges, being positive about the potential for success, the “glass half full” attitude makes meeting those challenges much easier to accept and oftentimes leads to a more successful conclusion. That same student also asked how I deal with all the naysayers, those who chose to be critical of the city and how I conduct our city’s business. To that question, I simply answered with the quote from Dr. Seuss, “Be who you are and say what you feel, for those who mind don’t matter and those that matter don’t mind.” I hope that this simple quote conveyed to those students, that you should never let those who choose to criticize you impact how you feel about yourself, and you should look at those around you who really matter in your life. I hope I gave each of those students something to ponder regarding themselves and their role in society