Pericles, Thomas Jefferson and Trophy Club

This post will have little to do with the actual ICMA Conference, but it is something that I have reflected since last night and today. It is the day following a Town Council meeting. Our agenda contained a couple of political issues that are really only significant to Trophy Club. I doubt the rest of Texas, the United States, or the World will come to a grinding halt because of agenda items that were addressed. However, I want to touch on a phenomenon that I witnessed once again last night.

What do Pericles, Thomas Jefferson and Trophy Club all have in common? It is democracy. A Trophy Club resident who attends a regular Town Council meeting experiences history every other week. The Greeks are credited with establishing democracy. Under the rule of Pericles, Athenian democracy reached its height and was later referred to as the Golden Age. What astounds me is that a style of government created thousands of years ago directly affects what we do each and every day. The Founding Fathers of our nation, including Thomas Jefferson, incorporated those values into our Constitution. As a side note, can you imagine trying to gather consensus for the Constitution in today’s political environment? And, it is not because our Founding Fathers were not opinionated or uneducated. The case could be made that they were more passionate about government! However, that is probably another blog discussion.

I think we should be cognizant that we are carrying a torch that has been burning for thousands of years. We are not reinventing the wheel, but rather endorsing perfection. When a citizen states their thoughts on an item remember, that even today the opportunity to voice an opinion is not allowed in every country or city. So, when you are distraught about the way a particular public meeting went or upset at unnecessary criticism from council or a resident, remember that you are the caretaker of democracy.