“A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader; a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.”
As the mayoral race in Provo is now coming to an end, voters need to ask themselves whether the candidates can be considered a leader for Provo. Leadership has many definitions, but the quote I found stated at the beginning of this post sums up leadership quite well. You can have a good leader, but you can also have a great leader. The people of Provo need to have the innate ability to trust the Mayor, as the responsibilities of this office are far reaching throughout all sectors and facets of our community.
John Curtis has been campaigning now for nearly one year, going door-to-door, becoming a household name. People know him, have seen his signs, and he has attended multiple community and civic events in Provo. What Mr. Curtis has been doing is trying to show the people that they can have confidence in him to lead their city; that he is trustworthy and responsible to hold a calling of such high importance. Mr. Curtis is not afraid to brag about the large number of high-profile supporters that have, over the past year, attached their names to his campaign. These people obviously trust Mr. Curtis to be a good leader and have a degree of confidence in him.
Yet what is to be said of Mr. Curtis being a great leader for Provo? Has Mr. Curtis inspired the people of Provo to not only believe in his ability to lead, but to encourage people to have confidence in themselves, their neighborhoods, and in their City? Mr. Curtis is quoted as saying that the people of Provo “can’t assume that Provo is the safe place that we would like it to be and that we think it is.” He is essentially saying that the people of Provo, despite their best efforts, cannot believe that they are living in a safe community. They cannot have confidence in their abilities to solve issues within their neighborhoods and schools. However, they can have confidence in Mr. Curtis’ ability to reduce a supposed gang epidemic in our community through his three-point plan. Yet, recent reports from Mayor Billings’ address to the City have stated that gang related crimes and graffiti as a whole are both down in dramatic numbers. The mixture of well-trained police officers and strong neighborhoods has brought these numbers down, not the singular acts of a politician.
Mr. Curtis has talked vehemently about his desire for a 20-year vision for our City. He states that the General Plan has “failed us.” Without ever pointing to the people of Provo which sections of this Plan have failed us, Mr. Curtis is asking for the authority to dictate to an entire city what vision should be held for the future of our neighborhoods. Even Mr. Curtis admitted during the Edgemont Neighborhood meeting that as he has gone door-to-door asking people where they would like to see the City in 20-years and, as a result, he received a different answer with every person. Mr. Curtis is not asking the people of Provo for their input in this matter, he is asking for authority to make a decision for you. He does not want your input, just your vote to give him the right to tell you where your City is going to be headed for the next two decades. Wouldn’t a great leader seek from his people their strengths in forming a plan that will directly affect their futures and wellbeing, or would he sit in a room of people who believe as he does in order to form a personal vision for over 100,000 people?
In matters of governance, Mr. Curtis has stated that the form of government established within our City (also known as a Strong Mayor/Council Form of Government) is meant to have tension between both the Mayor and Council. Strangely enough, a statement such as this shows he has neither confidence in himself or in the Council members that he may be working with to lead and guide the City. Tension in any organization, especially political, never yields positive consequences. For those of you who disagree please show me the merit in the current debacle on Capitol Hill where tension dominates reason. Tension between the two separate, yet equal, branches of government in Provo City (Administrative and Legislative) is like a check engine light on your vehicle. It is a sign that something is amiss. If Mr. Curtis truly believes that tension must be present in order for the two most important organizations in our community to function, then he has neither confidence in the individuals he will work with or that they can have confidence in him.
In my opinion, I do believe there are many, many people who have confidence in Mr. Curtis to lead and guide this City for the next four years. However, does Mr. Curtis have confidence in those people to also lead and guide their City for the next four years, or does he simply believe that this ability will come from his office alone?
