Everyone seems to want to talk about the upcoming May elections. "Will the Mayor run again?" They clamor. "What about Demerson? What's he going to do?" They ask.
Personally, I am not very concerned about what they do. However, I am concerned about the type of leadership that is needed in Amarillo. We need leadership qualities sitting on the City Council.
We need people who are bold, who are honest, who are wise, who are kind, and who have a deep love for this community. We need people who honestly care about the people who live here, and not just their friends and donors.
We need people who will listen to everyone, regardless of whether they support them, or not. We need people who are proud to call themselves Amarilloans.
We need people who are not afraid to do what is right. We need people who will always do what is right, regardless of pressures from special interests. We need people who take every action, in the best interest of the community, instead of in hopes of claiming new votes.
We need people who care about this City, long after they are off the City Council. We need people who think about the next generations of Amarilloans, deeply weighing how their decisions will affect the next leaders of Amarillo.
We need a City Council for the future.
I honestly hope that this is the City Council that we see, once the dust has settled in 2017. It's time to put people over politics and start thinking about the future of Amarillo. And this will not be accomplished by blasting insults in front of groups of spectators. This will be accomplished by getting hands dirty and working day and night for the people of Amarillo.
It's time, Amarillo.
-C. Thomas Warren III, Editor-In-Chief
