Transition

I take office tomorrow, and I am nervous tonight. So I returned to the inspirational, though also sobering, email I received from Brenda Jones, October 7. I am going to put it on the door of my office, along with the names of the more than 71 Haines citizens who volunteer on Borough sponsored committees. Thank you, everyone, for all that you do. Here are excerpts from Brenda's email. Stop by and I'll share it with you in its entirety.

Dear Stephanie,

You won this vote by a very slim margin. You would not have been able to pull this one off without the support of conservatives that believe you will represent the best interest of our community and not just the interest of a vocal minority. They are hopeful, but will be watching carefully and their support will turn to contempt if your actions are inconsistent with what you professed during your campaign. I, and many others, are routing for your success. I believe Haines is at the tipping point. Now is the time that we will be able to turn things around and start to see life breathed back into our community or we turn into a community that 'used to be'.

Start by being the leader you said you would be. Consistently practice the values and ideals you presented during the campaign. Make sure that there is no room for anyone to even suggest your ethics are to be questioned. Many times people do not do anything wrong, but it is the appearance that there might have been personal gain or a personal agenda that causes a loss of confidence from the public. Set clear obtainable goals. You need to keep the long-term in focus, but some short term wins are important so that people do not lose enthusiasm. Break projects down into manageable chunks so that people can enjoy a sense of accomplishment along the way.

We need inspiration in this valley. Inspire a shared vision. So much time is spent on stuff people disagree about. Let's work on some of the things that most of us agree with, like our need to secure clean, reliable, affordable and sufficient energy. There will always be a segment of people that will never be happy with anything, but your goal is to work towards the best interest of the community, not placate unreasonable people. Communicate positive and hopeful outlooks for the future of the valley if we work together to address our future needs in a proactive way. Appeal to the public with respect for the differing individuals' concerns and show how their individual future interest can be served by proactively addressing our future needs. Always respect personal property holder rights. You present a unique opportunity for us to get buy-in from people that think fighting hydro power is somehow better for our environment than the alternatives. ...

You are going to have to challenge the process. This is where the people that say "but, we have always done it this way" will feel like their toes are being stepped on. You are in a good position because we all know the old way of doing things has not been serving the public interest well. There is so much distrust by the public because they believe stuff is done in secret. Bring things forward and look for new ways to approach the same old problems. As humans we are always uncomfortable whenever we are pushed outside of our comfort zone. But that is how we broaden our horizons and learn and grow. Know that you are going to receive pushback. Respectfully address those concerns. Know that sometimes when we experiment with new ways to approach challenges the results are not successful; learn from those setbacks and do not be afraid to let people know that your approach did not work and you need to try a new approach.

You are going to need some help in this process so enable others to act. Work on developing cooperative relationships with groups of different perspectives. Make sure that you generate a a sense of ownership among the committees so that they feel empowered and not disheartened. ... Make sure the committees and task forces under your direction allow for a free exchange of communication in both directions. This is needed in order to allow buy-in on the goals. This means you must thoughtfully consider what the goals should be and research the best approaches with input from those you are empowering.

Encourage those around you. Celebrate the accomplishments you have along the way. Recognize people for their contributions. You are going to be working with a lot of people that are donating their time and expertise; give them the pat on the back when they deserve it. Staff too needs the kudos they deserve, but only in a sincere way. No need to start an employee of the month program and then have to struggle to try to figure out who to name this month. Remember to stop and smell the roses along the way and make this an enjoyable process for all involved.

Best wishes for a future full of success while you are working towards making Haines a better place.

Brenda

Thanks Brenda!