Merry Christmas
2022 has been a memorable year! Personally, I was glad to see an end to the era of COVID with government shutting down our businesses and way of life; and to now see our kids back in school.
2022 was my fourth year in office and my first year serving as board chair. When I entered office, I was a bit naive as to how hard it would be to move an idea from concept to conclusion. Many times, people in Government confuse motion with action. You don’t accomplish lots of things with lots of meetings. Accomplishment comes by action. It is with that mindset, I have tried to govern, or as the private sector might say, manage projects.
While I can speak to accomplishments such as increasing fire funding by over 300% and going from 11 county fire fighter positions to 37, I am most proud of the direction of governing our board has taken. And yes, I will take some credit for the idea. I would not be a politician if I did not take some credit.
When I came into office, it seemed hard to set short- and long-term tangible goals. Once set, they seemed to change each year with little being accomplished. In government, sometimes it takes a full season just to get to the starting point.
The board has been focusing our attention on a limited number of priorities, objectives, and action items. This year, we took monumental steps towards not just defining these three levels of detail but creating realistic expectations and timelines. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) is now being applied to each action item.
Just last week, we were given a presentation on a program called ClearPoint Strategy. The ClearPoint implementation is putting our priorities, objectives and action items into an online application where we can track work, time frames, dependency factors and completions dates. Once fully operational, even the general public will have viewing access. (https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/1682017/BOS_Strategic_Plan_in_ClearPoint_Strategy.pdf).
While the topic may not sound all that exciting, I believe if stewarded correctly, it can and will change the way we and future boards govern. With that said, 2023 looks bright as we look to start implementing ClearPoint Strategy.
As 2022 winds down, I would like to thank all those who have supported me while in office the last four years. To those who may not like my politics but are critical thinkers and share your views with me, I appreciate your input more than you know. To my father Bob and brother Mel, thank you for your help in running my campaign and wise council. My mother Adrienne, your encouragement. To my wife, Aimee, I don’t say I love you enough. I love you! Thank you for holding down the fort at home and doing the most difficult work of all in homeschooling our children. They are so lucky to have you. To my kids, your support gives me strength and I am excited for the bright plans God has for you as you grow. Finally, many of you know I am not ashamed of the Gospel. Jesus Christ is my rock, has been since I turned to him at age twenty and always will be, even when I fail.
As I reflect on Christmas and the true meaning of it which has been lost by most of media and society, I am thankful that that little baby was born in a manger over two thousand years ago. Of all the ways the God of universe could have blessed mankind and redeemed us, it is crazy to me that he sent his son down to earth, to be humbled, to be like us so that he could save us. Of all the ways he could have re-deemed man, he did so in a way I don’t think I will truly ever understand… but I am thankful he did.
Merry Christmas
Anaiah Kirk
