Get involved
As part of the fall 2005 NLC Leadership Seminars,
mayors from Irving and Hurst, a councilman from
Carrollton, Muslim leaders from the Islamic Center
of Irving and a 2005 Irving city council candidate
emphasized to my government students the importance
of community involvement in shaping future leaders.
Herb Gears, mayor of Irving, argues, “To
be really effective in ways to change and develop
the city, it was essential for me to reach to
the whole community … To me, this meant
first and foremost learning about and understanding
the different cultural groups before being able
to meet the diverse needs of my community ...
only then will Irving, as a whole, be better able
to meet future challenges.”
Richard Ward, mayor of Hurst, happened to get
involved in neighborhood issues defending “little
people” and turned into a skilled politician,
balancing city requirements between individual
needs and community demands. As a successful mayor,
he said, “one has to have an innate ability
to listen to others’ concerns and wisely
act upon them.”
Herb Weidinger, Carrollton council member, acknowledged
that he “decided to chip in because one
thing is to be part of the problem, like so many
of my neighbors were; another is to be part of
the solution. So, I decided to act, got involved
and have been on the council in two cities.”
According to Weidinger, a city cannot build cohesion
and solidarity when individual needs outweigh
the needs of the group.
Jason Black and Imam Zia of the Islamic Center
of Irving try to foster collaboration between
Muslims and the rest of the community. Open house
events and speaking engagements are capitalized
on by the leadership center to build trust and
understanding in order to achieve greater cross-cultural
cooperation.
David Cole, a former NLC student and now a well-known
businessman in Irving, ran unsuccessfully for
Irving City Council earlier this year. He claims,
with reason, that “volunteers contribute
to make the city a better place to live …
the city’s success is due to those actively
involved in neighborhood organizations, religious,
civic and business community organizations.”
Because of his strong social values and beliefs,
Cole continues to be the community activist he
has been for so many years past.
This echoes words students have heard in government
classes: “Giving back to the community what
the community has given to us.”
— Gabriel Bach is a government professor
at North Lake College.
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