{"id":1280,"date":"2016-05-04T09:12:41","date_gmt":"2016-05-04T14:12:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=1280"},"modified":"2016-05-04T09:19:28","modified_gmt":"2016-05-04T14:19:28","slug":"service-above-self-the-old-addison-way-and-the-rotary-club","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=1280","title":{"rendered":"\u201cService Above Self\u201d The (Old) Addison Way and The Rotary Club"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cService Above Self\u201d
\n<\/strong>The (Old) Addison Way and The Rotary Club
\n<\/strong>By Susan M. Halpern
\n<\/strong>Former Addison Councilmember (1992-1999)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cService above self\u201d is the primary motto of the Rotary Clubs, including three that meet in and around Addison. This motto dovetails with the Addison Way I knew when I served on the Council.\u00a0 Employees lived it.\u00a0 They were a cohesive unit back then, a family of sorts, fostered by strong, demanding, but fair leadership.\u00a0 They thrived, and with them, Addison grew into a very special place.<\/p>\n

Addison\u2019s employees were encouraged to serve Addison and the greater Metroplex community. The Town felt strongly enough about the importance of its employees serving the community, that over the course of about 10 years, Addison sponsored approximately 30 employees who were members of various Rotary Clubs that met in and around Addison.\u00a0 That put our employees on the front lines of the many community-oriented projects undertaken by the Rotary Clubs.\u00a0 Our employees spread the goodwill of Addison, and they were also confronted with the reality of so many people who need help in a variety of ways, and who are helped by the services provided as a part of the Rotary Club philosophy.\u00a0 They learned many lessons.<\/p>\n

In addition to doing so many good deeds, the Rotary Clubs keep their members humble, reminding them always of the need to SERVE: \u201cService Above Self.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The \u201cnew\u201d Addison is very different. Fed by a misguided leader whose \u201cstop at nothing\u201d tactics are reminiscent of Lance Armstrong, the current council philosophy more closely resembles \u201cSelf Above ALL.\u201d\u00a0 Meier has focused the council on doing things his way, demanding their voting obedience.\u00a0 Those who disagree with Meier are publicly attacked and disparaged.\u00a0 It is an \u201cus and them\u201d atmosphere, with a focus on \u201cdefeating them,\u201d and thereby \u201cwinning.\u201d\u00a0 The consequences to Addison are irrelevant.\u00a0 \u201cDefeating them\u201d is far more important.<\/p>\n

Such an atmosphere leaves no room for ideas that don\u2019t belong to Meier and his cadre. Everything that came before is attacked.\u00a0 Indeed, that philosophy has been the lynchpin of the shameful campaign Meier has orchestrated in his efforts to maintain control of Addison\u2019s council.<\/p>\n

Apparently, this disparagement now reaches to the Rotary Clubs. The \u201cfacts-don\u2019t-matter\u201d folks have attacked former City Manager Ron Whitehead (and, apparently, Jim Duffy) for Addison\u2019s sponsorship of the 30 or so Addison employees who participated in three different Rotary Clubs over the course of ten years.<\/p>\n

Of course, the \u201cfacts-don\u2019t-matter\u201d folks didn\u2019t mention the 30 employees, the ten years or the three different Rotary Clubs. It sounds so much more damning if you leave out the facts that matter.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Shame on these incumbents and their supporters for unjustifiably attacking and disparaging Ron Whitehead and all the employees who work tirelessly for DECADES to make Addison a special place. Shame on these incumbents and their supporters for denigrating Addison, and for bringing dishonor to our Town.\u00a0 Shame on them for misleading the public.<\/p>\n

Not a one of these incumbents or their supporters should ever use a park in Addison, walk on a jogging trail, go to a restaurant, use the Addison Health Club or attend a Special Event. They\u2019ve disparaged everything that came before them, including all the wonderful and beautiful amenities and events that Ron Whitehead and others had the vision to create.\u00a0 Benefitting from all that hard work while reprehensibly disparaging Ron and others is sheer hypocrisy.<\/p>\n

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