Why am I running for Stafford City Council?
My interest in politics goes way back. My freshmen year in High School I would sign my name: Tim Wood P.N.R. I made up that acronym, which stood for Proud Natchitoches Resident. I wasn’t your typical teenager. I played high school sports and hung out with friends, but I also spent hours looking at maps, drafting street and traffic improvements for my hometown and hours reading every line of the Public Notices in the Natchitoches Times with excitement to read about proposed planning and zoning changes and commercial and residential development. As an upper classman I served on the Mayor’s Youth Council and represented my school in Baton Rouge in Boys’ State. I even had the privilege of presenting my bill as an elected member of the state house of representatives in the actual representatives’ chamber of the Louisiana State Capitol. I helped organize and run a recycling program in my dorm my senior year at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts. I took my civic duty seriously and even got a letter to the editor expressing my views at the time on the Louisiana governor’s race of 2003 published in the Baton Rouge Advocate. I was bitterly disappointed when my first ballot for US President showed up two days after the election in the Dominican Republic where I was doing missionary service.
After having lived overseas for 2 years I came back with an open mind and a new perspective and gratitude towards American democracy. Like so many I have been pained to see the brief unity that we enjoyed after 9/11 shattered and worsened with every passing year. Partisanship on a national level has brought the efficiency of the national government to get things done to a stand-still. Although national and state politics gets all the attention, in my opinion, it is local government that has the biggest impact on our day-to-day lives and it has the greatest potential to improve our quality of living. City races are non-partisan, as they should be. I think when it comes to looking for city council persons, the citizens of Stafford are more concerned about safe neighborhoods, good schools, adequate drainage, nice streets and good recreational opportunities, than they are about what´s going on in Washington, D.C. or Austin. We shouldn’t let the hyper-partisanship of state and national politics percolate down to the local level and divide neighbors who essentially want the same things in our city.
Why do I feel called to serve at this time as a city council member in Stafford? I care about good governance. I am running for reelection because for the last 3 years I have been willing to put my hands to work for a better city: a Stafford that serves ALL of its residents, and that work is not done. For too many years, hard-working citizens pleas to do the right thing by their neighborhoods have been met with indifference, lip service, or an incessant chorus of “its not in the budget.” It shouldn’t matter if you and your family have connections to a city leader or not. That should not be the reason why your concerns are heard. I am committed to continuing to represent ALL of Stafford: Homeowners, renters, apartment-dwellers. It shouldn’t matter where you live in Stafford, if you live in city limits your city government should work for you.
I am running because I sincerely believe that my unique experiences, training, and service-minded approach will continue to make a difference in our community. I bring 3 years of experience on city council. I bring 4 years of practical financial experience to the table to work on finding ways to prioritize the essential city services and the needs of our residents in a budget. I bring 12 years of educational experience and working with the youth to the table. I bring an attention to detail and a willingness to listen to others and learn. I bring a lifetime of being service-minded and a good heart to do right by the people I am privileged to represent. I am committed to transparency, to being sincere and honest. I bring a desperately needed focus on the future. When the story of Stafford is told I don’t want all of the highlights to be in the past. The best is yet to come. Today’s Stafford residents and tomorrow’s generation deserves the same passion and commitment from their city leaders that was seen when this community came together to create SMSD. I am proud of what we have accomplished these first 3 years, whether it be bringing back recycling, bringing our community together to honor our veterans, to celebrate Juneteenth, and tirelessly advocating for improving SMSD… What I bring to the council is a thoughtful, servant-minded approach in representing our diverse community. With your help, I will continue to serve with the same passion, attention to detail, willingness to listen and learn, and dedication to fight for a better Stafford!
