By Council Member Chris Dobrozsi
As I sit here writing my final Council article, a host of emotions are running through my mind, but most prevalent are the feelings of being honored and humbled as I look back on 25 years of serving the residents of the City – 16 years on Council (6 years as Mayor) and 9 years on the Landmarks Commission. And I must admit, moving on from what has been a significant part of my identity for all these years is also weighing on my mind – but the sense of pride in what has been accomplished by the Council/Staff/Resident Team over these last 25 years has risen to the top.
The City of Montgomery is truly a special community, and I have been blessed to serve with my fellow Council Members alongside the incredible staff, all focused on serving the residents of the City and making every decision by answering the simple question: “What is best for the City of Montgomery?”
Working alongside this best-in-class team, I have grown both personally and professionally, and this growth has made me come to the realization of what I have learned over my years on Council:
- Council is the “Board of Directors” for the City.
- Council’s job is to set the vision for the community, stay out of the details, and allow the City Manager to run the City and deliver on this vision.
- The Council/Staff must make every decision based upon “What is best for the City of Montgomery?”.
- Council Members are in a leadership position, and with this comes the responsibility to do what is best for the City – not necessarily what is the consensus of a particular group. Margaret Thatcher said it best: “Consensus is the Absence of Leadership.”
- Every Council Member has a different perspective – that adds value to the team.
- New Council Members should ask questions and seek to understand the operations of the City before speaking on a subject, as there is so much that they do not know. Take the time to soak in all the information you can.
- Council Members must stay unified in public view – individual Council discourse can and must happen outside of the public setting.
- New Council candidates should not seek to be elected in order to carry out a personal agenda, as they know very little about the job of a Council Member, nor the operations of the City. This knowledge comes with experience.
- Council Members should not use social media as the forum for community discussion – those discussions need to take place in Council Chambers.
- Last and most important – Council Members should not bring politics to the position – leave your political beliefs at the City Limits. It does not take a D, R or Green to provide City services. The City has a 97.5% resident satisfaction rating in the latest community survey. Why would we want to introduce politics and split our community down the middle?
It was an extremely difficult decision not to seek reelection to Council as I have thoroughly enjoyed every single moment of the position. But it is time to pass my torch on to the next eager resident wanting to make a difference.
A very heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you for trusting me to serve on Council for the past 16 years – ensuring Montgomery will continue to be the premier community of choice for generations to come. I look forward to continuing to serve this wonderful community as a volunteer!