Des Plaines Needs a Leader, Not a Laggard

By Jim Vinci

Many American citizens have become disillusioned and disinterested in government at all levels - local, state, and federal.  The presidential choices over the past few elections have certainly been dismal, and it’s been many years since the candidate I thought was right for the job got elected.  Over the course of the past few decades, special interest groups have multiplied and an entitlement mentality has spread like a cancer throughout this country.  Moral integrity and virtue have become a thing of the past, yet these are the ingredients that once made the United States so great.  Now, selfish greed, lust for power, and love of money have become the acceptable American way of life.  However, none of this has stopped me from exercising my civic duty and voting my conscience!

On April 9th,the residents of Des Plaines have the important choice of deciding which man will serve as our mayor. For as long as I have lived in Des Plaines, our local public officials have lacked accountability, and there have not been the necessary checks and balances in place to prevent corruption. This situation allowed felons like William Schneider to obtain employment as Des Plaines' economic development

director under the administration of Tony Arredia.  What’s interesting is that Mr.Schneider admitted to committing a felony on his application, but the people at City Hall did not even notice.   How doesthis happen?   Ask Tony Arredia, the man in charge.    

The question now is whether we citizens of Des Plaines will let a man who already disgraced public office once to have another shot at doing the same.   Mr. Arredia's motto is A Proven Leader, but is he?   In what ways has he demonstrated leadership while he was an alderman and a mayor?   You'll need to answer this question before you cast your vote next Tuesday!

One of the things that I always find helpful in making a choice in an election is to consider the character of the men or women I have to choose from before I examine their positions on issues.  Political roles generally require leadership skills, so the first thing one has to do is to define what makes a leader.  According to the dictionary, the word “lead” means “to guide, or direct, as by persuasion or influence, to a course of action or thought.”  If you accept this definition, it follows that a person that leads does so by exercising logic and reason, not force or coercion.   I decided to come up with a list of traits that best enabled a leader to demonstrate behavior consistent with this definition.  I was amazed at what came to mind!

Here’s a homework assignment.   Follow this link to my list - Des Plaines Mayoral Scorecard - print it out, and modify it to reflect those leadership traits you value most.  Then, for each trait, assign each of the three mayoral candidates a score from 1 to 5, where the score indicates the degree to which you think the candidate exhibits the particular trait, based on the following scale:

1.     Strongly disagree

2.     Disagree

3.     Neither agree nor disagree

4.     Agree

5.     Strongly agree

You will be surprised at what you learn, and it will take the emotion out of your decision.  Happy scoring, and may the right man assume responsibility as leader of Des Plaines on Tuesday, April 9th!