When I posted the picture on Facebook of some folks putting
up one of my campaign signs, someone asked, “A bucket list item?” Umm, no, seeking
political office has never been on my to-do list. So, why am I running?
I’m running for fire board because, recently, someone was
sitting in my church office and looked around and said, “I remember having a
physical in this room.”
Back when Blue Springs was a small town with only one doctor,
that doctor owned and worked out of the house that now serves as the office for
my church. Horses once roamed where our outdoor chapel sits. The 1950’s
built-in t.v. in the former den that is now my office is a fun piece of
memorabilia of days gone by.
Dr. Bey is no longer the doctor in Blue Springs. We have our
own hospital in our city limits and others nearby, and many doctors serve this
booming suburb. I am certain that Dr. Bey did a wonderful job tending to the
citizens of Blue Springs back then, and I am equally certain that our current
medical options serve us well now. Although Dr. Bey served the same mission of
providing medical care, the manner in which that mission is fulfilled in Blue
Springs looks quite different now than it did back when Dr. Bey did physicals
in his den.
Similarly, fire protection needs have changed in the years
since Blue Springs and the surrounding area were largely rural. Prairie
Township Fire Protection District was formed when south Blue Springs was simply
open farmland, and it served the area well. Today, suburbia has arrived, and previously
unincorporated rural areas are now part of the suburb that Blue Springs has
become. In spite of changing
populations, our fire district lines have remained unchanged. Rather than the
three closer and newer fire stations of another district, my house is served by
the single Prairie Township fire station, including ambulance service.
It never occurred to me to ask about fire protection until
two houses on my block burned. Now, I am keenly aware that in the past few months,
I had a neighbor who had to lie at the end of his driveway for about 20 minutes
while waiting for an ambulance, and another neighbor faced a similar wait time
while choking.
The mission of any fire department is to protect and
preserve life and property. As populations shift over the years, how that mission
is accomplished will change, but the mission will remain the same.
I could discuss fire statutes and budgets, because I’ve read
and am familiar with them. The budget numbers, by the way, are very similar to
my church. I could discuss firefighters’ salaries compared to
neighboring districts. I could even discuss strategies for making a difference
in the short term and the long term. These things are important parts of my
qualifications to serve. (Most of you who are reading this article probably
know me well enough to know that I don’t jump into things that I don’t think I can
do. Unfortunately, only a very few of you readers of you are eligible to vote
for me.) The primary question here, though, is why am I running? Why am I
adding something else onto my plate?
I am running because, many years ago, a young man had a
physical in the room that is now my church office. In the same way that the
delivery of medical care has evolved in Blue Springs, so, too, fire protection
needs to evolve to serve the current needs of Blue Springs. I believe I can help
my community, and so that’s why I’m running.
