One of my favorite weekends of the year is also the one with the most work involved. Each winter for the past several years, I have driven my Subaru sleigh up along the Wisconsin shore and then further out still to a never-timbered wilderness known as Sylvania. I then throw on the snowshoes and pull my sled off through the ancient pines to camp along Katherine Lake. It is the most magical forest that I have ever seen. It is also very cold. The joy is in mastering the skills necessary to stay not only comfortable — but cozy enough to enjoy the beauty of my time there.
Of all the advice I’ve received regarding staying safe in the elements, there is one specific point often made that proves true each time I venture out — if you want to be successful, it is going to take a lot more firewood and water than you think. Once you’re cold, everything becomes more difficult, so use the sunlight you have wisely to be prepared. Last minute maneuvers will never outperform solid preparation and consistent work. If you don’t like harvesting the wood and carrying water, then this trip may not be for you.
This mindset applies to most every aspect of leadership and life.
As a newly elected City Councilor in Marshalltown, I am starting my new year working to come alongside the many steady hands that work hard to keep our community a safe and welcoming home. No grand gestures or unfound promises – I wish to promote achievement that is accessible when we roll up our sleeves and pull together, remove barriers, and consistently advocate for the success of all.
We must continually seek out subject matter expertise, think outside the box, and put safety first. We need to invest the time required for long-term planning, to communicate transparently with our constituency, and honor community dollars. This work is the chopping and carrying of civic success, and I am personally very proud to be part of a community with so many tenacious advocates and committed professionals to learn from, all sharing in the burden.
From the way our city has sought and captured grant dollars to support key projects to the partnership of our police department and Youth and Shelter Services to deliver better outcomes for our area families — from the generosity witnessed in the wake of enormous natural disaster loss to the innovative ways our library is looking to connect our neighborhoods to the resources of the future, there is much momentum to build upon. While attention and priority must be given to critical infrastructure projects such as our needed street and viaduct improvements, the long view of our community must take very seriously the challenges associated with maintaining a healthy balance of industry and workforce for a population of Marshalltown’s size.
For now, the burden lies in attracting candidates that wish to put down roots in Marshalltown and contribute to one of our wonderful industries or businesses. A land of opportunity awaits from my point of view, but the competition to recruit in nearly every sector is nothing short of fierce.
I believe for both population and fiscal growth to occur, we must appropriately balance the interconnectedness of industry, workforce, and infrastructure development. Spearfishing for the feast simply will not do. We need to deeply establish ways of delivering confidence and value that incentivize business being done in Marshalltown, and develop agile processes at the city level that communicate a willingness to solve for the gaps so that deciding to operate in Marshalltown is as easy a choice as possible.
Through persistent work, inclusive conversations, innovative leadership, and enthusiasm for our future, Marshalltown is positioned to remain the safe and wonderful home it has always been. What we become relies on what we collectively work towards, remain committed to, and stand behind. Our most recent slogan, “Marshalltown — More Than Ever” could not possibly be a more relevant message for this time. Let’s continue to build upon this better community together, fueled by the lessons and resiliency of our past.
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Dex Walker is the newly elected Third Ward Marshalltown city councilor. He took the oath of office on Jan. 3.
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January 08, 2022 at 01:34PM
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Chop wood, carry water | News, Sports, Jobs - Marshalltown Times Republican
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