OPPORTUNITIES
Recently, there have been conversations about leadership and the qualities of true leadership. I would like to take a portion of this article to discuss that. To me, a leader creates a culture that encourages originality, imagination, and exciting new ideas. I do not believe those in any leadership position who may utilize techniques that work to intimidate or influence decisions by uncivil debate or conduct can accomplish anything positive; it only stifles creativity, innovative thinking, and team building. This type of leadership can be challenging and definitely unproductive. A good leader can bring everyone together to form a cohesive and productive team. A great leader can make it enjoyable. As a City Councilmember, I will continue to make every effort to lead and work as a team with my colleagues. To quote Ray Kroc, “The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.”
Having said that, let’s talk about investing in our future. When I was running for City Council in 2015, I talked about repairing and maintaining our infrastructure to make sure it could handle our recent growth spurt. I have no doubt that our 50-year-old infrastructure is in need of repairs and ongoing maintenance. Those who question the essential steps to stay on top of infrastructure maintenance, quite frankly, may not understand the significant impacts if we fail to be proactive. In reemphasizing the importance of maintaining or improving City infrastructure, please join me in supporting the general obligation bond measure for the City Levee Protection Planning and Improvements Project, which will be placed on the June 2018 ballot.
Currently, our City is in a good place financially. However, we are in the midst of a number of major infrastructure projects that will help maintain the vibrancy of our City for the next 50 years. These projects include the levee improvements, the wastewater treatment plant, and our Recreation Center, to name a few. I will be working hard and adding my voice to make sure that we do not spend money on unnecessary projects or excess expenditures at this time.
We have many opportunities to make Foster City a city with a vision for the future. That means that we need to be innovative and creative to deal with our challenges. Foster City is unique in its location within Silicon Valley. We are in the center of innovative thinking and developing technology. We should use our location to build on our vision for the future. We need to examine what’s important in our collective lives to build that vision, including economic opportunities for all of our residents, young and old.
Please join us in person at our City Council meetings or watch us on your computer or TV. You can stream us live on fostercity.tv. As your voice on the City Council, I would like to hear about your vision for Foster City. Let’s move forward together. As always, you can contact me at cmahanpour@fostercity.org.
