An open mind for mayor

There are rules in life. And then there are rules and laws for our elected officials. These rules need to apply to everyone who swears an oath to be mayor of Maricopa.  Not open to manipulation to serve a personal interest.  If a rule needs to be changed, there is a process that must be followed.  This is both the letter of the law, and the spirit of it.

I don’t feel that this is happening in Maricopa right now.

There’s at least an appearance that the everyday person is not being represented fairly. I hold this perspective because I have seen for myself the lack of transparency and dealings that seem to benefit individuals instead of the city and its people. It seems as though the other party in the actions knows exactly what is happening, but the public is left in the dark. As one council member told me, I have to “connect the dots” with agenda items for myself. He wouldn’t tell me what was going on in our own council meeting. This is but one of the major reasons why I am running for mayor. I will conduct all meetings in an open and fair way so that it is transparent to all Maricopians that their interests are being served. I’m not doing this for the money, or for the power, but for the betterment of Maricopa and its citizens.

After watching the process, it seems the public only gets the information that fits someone else’s agenda. Full disclosure, under the law, must be made, period.  Every Maricopian has the right to understand the policies that are being passed in their city .If they do not, we will all pay for it eventually.

I understand there will be disagreements on issues. People voicing their opinions is the American right. I believe in the freedom of speech. It seems though that that “voice” is squelched among “ordinary” people when it comes to dealing with city council.

I am running for mayor because I want to ensure what goes on behind the scenes happens as though the public were in the room, too. I will be on the side of the table of Marcopians. I believe the mayoral position is a duty to serve the public. The duty in my view is higher than any “fiduciary duty” that the public deserves.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve. I do mean serve. The city council generally, the mayoral position specifically, is a position of service and represents the public. I don’t take that responsibility lightly. Anything that is important enough for someone to speak about is important enough to be listened to by our representatives. The city council works for us. I believe this has been lost and forgotten.

If elected, I will NOT forget. And, you will have the chance to make sure I don’t forget. I am talking about a true open door policy. A hotline that reaches to my desk with a phone number that everyone in Maricopa will have access to. This will mean that we are the entire mayor.

Maricopa is my home. My wife and three children live here. I feel it is my responsibility to make life better for my family. And making life better for all Maricopians helps to reach that goal.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this.

Leon Potter is a candidate for mayor in the March 9 primary election.

File photo

InMaricopa.com runs, on a regular basis, opinion pieces submitted by community members. This article is the opinion of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the views of InMaricopa.com. Have an opinion you’d like to share with Maricopa? Please email it and any applicable photos to [email protected] for consideration.