Aftermath- Applicant Interviews

Not for the faint of heart

The write up for the applicant interviews was a tough one. I’ll be honest here, it took most of the morning, a lot of coffee, a few head bangs off the table, some scrolling of Facebook, and hysterical laughing. This is in no way a reflection of the candidates, it is a reflection of the questions and the writer of these articles.

The first question of the day, whether or not you had a family member that works for the city, was the only question that went quickly. Yes or no. Fortunately, they all answered no. The second question, roles and responsibilities of an alderman was a good one. However, if you were the last to answer, pretty much all of the responses had been taken.

Question four was honestly ridiculous. What does a typical day look like for you? Come on here. Who was really going to answer with, “Well, I hit snooze at least twice before spending 15 minutes in the bathroom reading the news and a few emails. I make coffee and take the dog out. I finish the dishes that the damn kids left, and then just zone out for a few minutes before everyone else gets up.” Oh wait, you really don’t care what my morning looks like. And I do hate the dishes the kids leave for me in the morning. However, I’m not reading the news right now I’m reading a series about Laurel Canyon and the hippie movement. (light crazy reading) Can we be honest??? No one cares what their day looks like, this is a $400 a month Alderman position, not a Miss America pageant.

What civic organizations, boards or commissions have you been a member of? A better question would be “How have you followed city business and have you ever attended a city meeting of any sort? Being on a board or commission before should not preclude you from being on a board. If you have never served before, you have to start somewhere. However, it would have been a pertinent question to ask. There were 10 applicants and only one had been to numerous meetings and spoken in front of the board before. Have you sent emails? Have you made phone calls? Have you read this Substack? Have you been to a meeting of any sort? These are the more important questions. Are you paying attention to your city government/business at all? That question was not asked. Honestly, it didn’t matter to me what boards they had been on, I only want to know if they have been paying attention.

The sixth question was another one that no one really cares about. Ugh! What are you most passionate about right now? If someone says their family, and you don’t, does that make you an uncaring ass? If someone says politics and you don’t, does that mean you aren’t paying attention. I’ll be honest here, I wish someone had said Jiu Jitsu. That’s my current passion, and I would know “You are my people.”

Once again, “What is something you want to learn or wish you could do better?” was a terrible question. The only answer I found amusing was Linda Silver’s. She would love to learn the Tik Tok dances. If someone had said they would like to get better at jiu jitsu, or ping pong, or folk dancing, I would have been thrilled. Dumb question. Do better City of White House.

When asked to rate White House on a scale of 1-10, many of the applicants chose 10. I get it, no one wants to admit that their city is in turmoil, but let’s be honest, White House is a mess. Traffic sucks, the hotel next to the truck stop is a topic of discussion, the water issues keep coming, the houses keep coming, no one can find staff….the list goes on and on. No one would be applying for this job if everything were A-OK in the city. Not that I think the applicants were lying, but we all blow smoke when applying for a job. White House is a solid 5 and we all know it. Tyree Springs, Hwy 76, and 31W are all a mess during peak school hours. Try getting on Hwy 76 from Pleasant Grove Road. Not so much fun. Still waiting on a stop light at South Palmers, and when exactly will the water treatment plant be finished? The people of this town are generous, and for the most part kind. The city staff is amazing. The police department works hard. We have some great people here, we just have some big problems.

Question eleven tripped several of the applicants up. The choice was between parking at the soccer complex, building a fire station on the Robertson County side of town, and widening Sage Road from Crossroads to 31W. The first applicant said he didn’t have enough information, so of course the next two applicants said the same thing. Fortunately, the fourth realized that public safety is one of the jobs of local government. She stated that she would choose a fire station. In my opinion, that was the right choice. Only one other applicant agreed. Here is why I believe they are right. The soccer complex has a grant of some sort. I don’t recall all of the details, but there is money and matching money. Even if the grant is 50%, the soccer complex should not be priority number one if there are 1100 homes going in behind Heritage High School, over 500 are already occupied. Parking at the soccer complex is great, but only a small percentage of the community will utilize it. (except during the Americana Festival) Widening Sage Road is a must, but that money should come from the developers in my opinion. The industrial area on Union wants to dump out on Sage. Make them pay for it. The taxpayers should not have to pay for another road to be widened if the traffic is going to be caused by development. Bring industry here, but make the business owners pay for the issues they will cause. So, the only answer you needed to hear was build the fire station. Kudos to Henderson and Silver for being honest.

Overall, the applicants themselves were great. Getting more citizens involved at the local level was my goal all along, and this time there were 10 applicants as opposed to 4 for the last alderman seat. They had no control over the process, and it is difficult to answer a question when it has been asked five times previously. My pick is Linda Silver. I really liked her answer about Tik Tok dancing, but aside from wanting to see her boogie on the internet, I have seen her at city meetings. She has been involved to the point of speaking at public hearings. Full disclosure, she has been one of the many to subsidize my writing endeavor. That may make my choice look fishy to some of you, but at least I told you. She is a CPA and trusted with other people’s money. She has few outside obligations as her children are grown. She is smart, funny, and wise. Truthfully, Mr. Stewart, Mr. Faust, and Mrs. Thomas would all make great additions to the board as well, but my first choice is Ms. Silver.

My choice matters very little. My opinion is just that, my opinion. If you live in Ward 3, your opinion is what matters. If you live in city limits, your opinion is what matters. Please write or call your mayor and or alderman. Here is the link to the government page for the city. I don’t have the email addresses, but you can get them. They are working on city emails for your government officials as well. Call them. Write them. Tell them who you want representing you. You have a few weeks. Their decision will be made in February. This is YOUR government, stand up and take part.

As always, coffee is appreciated. Venmo @Nicole-Taylor-262