Hope for El Cajon

The word hope itself is used too often. Of course people have hope that things will change for the better, that their loved ones will remain safe, or that they win the lottery. But, without action, hope is just an empty word that people throw around like empty wishes. There is a phrase that I use at work "hope is not a management tool. Make a plan and work to that plan". Hope can only truly be achieved if it is built on a foundation of works and faith. The works (like the plan I refer to the above statement) is effort and planning to ensure things will happen the way you desire it. The faith is that the people you talk with and trust to fulfill certain roles will succeed. Faith also means that your plan is the one that will bring about a positive change and that God agrees and will remove the road blocks that are in your path. When everyone is onboard with the first quote, I have an addition that I like to throw in "Hope is not a management tool, but prayer can be effective". Why this diatribe on "Hope" you may ask? It is because during my first campaign and still today I hear a resounding statement of; I hope that the leadership in El Cajon will change, I hope things will get better for El Cajon, I hope we get more consumers in El Cajon, I hope El Cajon becomes a better city. Whether it be business, recreational, residential, public safety, or just quality of life that the El Cajon resident are hoping to make better they must take action to make it happen. The current leadership (Mayor and city council) have been around for quite a while. In order to fulfill that hope, the residents must be willing to go to the polls to make that change. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. The Mayor and one council member remain in place for another four year thanks to the apathy of the last election. But, there are three council seats open in 2012 that can have a huge impact on redirecting the focus of where El Cajon is heading and how quickly it gets there. Make your vote count in 2012 and have real Hope for El Cajon's future.