Sunday's Op-Ed: Personality vs. Character

While personality scratches the surface of what a person is about; Character gets to the depths of what a person is about. While personality can be a catalyst for liking or disliking a person; Character can be a catalyst for forming a strong bond with a person. While personality can be feigned or even misunderstood; Character is the truth. Personality is the style; Character is the substance. Personality is exhibited; while character has to be proven. With that being said, there are a faction of people who are getting over on personality.

After attending several community council meetings and listening to politicians speak [CLICK HERE for a background on community council meetings], I have observed that there are people who are in vital decision-making positions who are attempting to get over on personality, without exhibiting any integrity (i.e. character) in the way they weld their positions.

I've seen politicians pander to a crowd like they were partaking in a performance of a poorly written church scene, in which they were cast as the shady preacher. Meanwhile, these same politicians would be pelted with boos, instead of amens, if the people looked a little deeper and examined these people's actions when it when really counts.

It's easy for politicians to allocate part of their budget to throw a Christmas party that will pay-off for them in a return of perceived goodwill. However, true goodwill must be earned by politicians when they stand up for their constituents in manner that may not be deemed popular or acceptable by their political peers. While I'm not necessarily opposed to politicians spreading holiday cheer, I think we must take out our magnifying glasses and look where an elected official's actions really count (i.e. how they vote when their group is in session).

How our elected officials vote on the very important issues that effect our community is pertinent to our community's condition and survival. Their votes are a matter of public record, and can be gleaned by a simple google search. How they vote way out weighs their "like-ability factor." After all, how many of us know people who are a lot of fun, and are always the life of the party; yet, you wouldn't trust them to babysit your chia pet?

We can no longer afford to have "life of the party" politicians, who sell us out behind closed doors. Remember that actions speak louder than words. We must be astute regarding how our politicians act and represent us, and hold them accountable. Playtime is over; our future depends on it.