[StBernard] elected officials

[Westley Annis]

This ties into Craig's comments about elected officials. I have been asked
many times in the past if I would run for some office. I have no intentions
of ever doing so.  I feel I can serve my community much better in
non-elected, non-paid, volunteer/appointed positions for several reasons. My
family is not affected, my personal life stays personal, I never have to
raise money for a campaign, I can form my opinion and speak only for myself
because I have no constituents that elected me, I have time to keep my
paying job, and I don't get the personal attacks that elected officials do.
 
Therefore, I serve as a member of the Planning Commission, the Economic
Development Commission,Nunez Foundation, Business and Professional Women's
Club board, and others.  I encourage everyone on daparish forum who is
returning to get involved with our newer, smaller parish. We need you. You
all have ideas, opinions, and most of all want to make a difference. Don't
feel like you have to run for office and don't feel that elected officials
can do it all by themselves, especially now. Just serve with integrity,
ethics, and dedication to maker our community a better place for generations
to come.  We need diversity (conservatives, liberals, young, old, male, and
female, etc. ) and new faces. We need younger people, too. Most times
there's no one under 45  in these organizations and boards.  But if you want
to put your head on the chopping block, go ahead and run for office!
 
We still have our many civic and cultural organizations active to some
degree after Katrina. Join one. Many have waived dues this year.
 
 Send in an application to the parish for a position on a board, there are
many of them and they advertise vacancies in the Voice. Then there are State
boards, too, like the levee boards, port commissions, etc that you can
search on the state government website.   Did you know that a St. Bernardian
can serve on either the Port of St. Bernard or the Port of New Orleans,
which has to have a St. Bernard person by law. 
 
I'm glad that we still have people running for elected office at the
national, state, and local level. The cost grows incredibly each campaign,
the media scrutiny intensifies, and the personal attack ads get worse every
election.  
 
As a side note, I have never campaigned for anyone and never placed a sign
or bumper sticker on my property, and never will. This is true whether they
have been my friend or neighbor before the election. My vote is my personal
privilege reserved for the person I believe is best at the time based on
what I know about the candidate at the time. I support and extend a helping
hand to  everyone who is elected and they never know whether I voted for or
against them because it doesn't matter once elected. The ones that call upon
me for information or have technical/engineering questions know that I will
give it to them straight and they can form their own opinions. That is I
don't put any spin on it. And that's what I hope I do on this forum.
 
Deborah Keller