So far – as of yesterday – Jacksonville’s local elections have a pathetic voter turnout. Only about 75,000 people have cast their vote which is a measly 12% of the population of Jacksonville. Check out the statistics here: https://www.duvalelections.com/Election-Information/Voter-Turnout
So why do you think the casting of ballots is so low?
I have a thought on that.
Ballot casting is low because Vision casting hasn’t happened.
Vision casting is THE most important aspect of a leader. It’s important in business and it is vitally important in the world of politics.
I’ve watched the local elections and candidly, I’m bored by it all. Bored because no one on the ballot – including our now Mayor Lenny Curry — have shared an exciting vision with us. They haven’t captured our hearts or brought us something to rally behind. Nothing. Nada.
Their campaigns are all about …
Running Against Someone instead of Running for Something
You see dear friends, people follow a vision. They want to be inspired. They want to be a part of something big. They want to be Ambassadors for Jacksonville.
But alas…We the People of Jacksonville are still waiting for that Vision. And the irony is this: Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been used to fly around the world looking at other cities and how they improved this or that and still — Jacksonville — especially downtown — is sitting in the ashes of demolished buildings and broken promises.
And we still don’t know what we want to be when Jacksonville grows up.
The questions are many for those running in this local election:
Where is the master plan for Jacksonville?
What kind of city do we want to be?
Where are we going?
How will we get there and how will we fund it?
Oh if we only had a vision! Can you imagine the turnout at the polls today. Can you see lines of people outside the door chatting with each other and excited about being a part of something big?
But alas – that’s not what today will bring us. Instead a few more people will head to their local polling place and will walk inside without a wait and check the boxes on their ballot. Yawn. Sigh.
And a handful of people will decide who will lead our city. Just a handful.
The ballots cast will indicate the lack of a vision cast for our city.
It will be a boring day in Jacksonville today. So sad.
I’m still going to go vote and hope you will too. As boring as it may be.
“Without a vision, the people perish.”
She craved anything leadership related and enjoyed being around the world of entrepreneurial CEOs. She watched as they made decisions; pondered how they would make payroll when cash flow was tight; and appreciated how they created career opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people. Because of her experiences, she has emerged as a key resource for the media and others who want to understand important insights about executives, management teams and board dynamics.
In 2008, Billie became discouraged as she watched some of her clients struggle with the political economic impacts on their businesses. The same CEOs who mortgaged their home and charged up their credit cards to make ends meet to build a business and keep others working, now watched as their government bailed out the big banks who had mismanaged their resources. She cringed as most of her clients laid off employees for the first time and she vowed she would help them… somehow…someway.
That somehow…someway showed up in the Tea Party Movement in America. She formed one of the largest tea party group’s in America (more than 9,000 members strong) and helped bring attention to America’s debt problem, out of control spending, over taxation and regulation strangulation on companies.
With her background in working with leaders and her influence in the political and leadership world, Billie has continued her dream to help CEOs navigate these troubling waters that permeate the world of capitalism in America.
She has been an active participant in the media as a guest on CNN, Fox News, Fox Business, Bott Family Network Radio and co-hosts a political/financial radio show in the Northeast Florida market entitled, Smart Money.
She was the first speaker at the House of Representatives Tea Party Caucus inaugural event and was invited by Heritage Foundation to speak at their prestigious annual Heritage Resource Bank, and on their National Security Panel live broadcasts.
She spoke at the Congressional Republican House Retreat in Pennsylvania in 2012. She was also the co-host and co-producer of the CNN Tea Party Express Debate in the 2012 Presidential Election.
She is a firm believer that America needs more entrepreneurs and more opportunities for people to use their God-given talents and passions to better themselves, their communities and America.
Her favorite quote has become her mission to help CEOs succeed:
“Vision without execution is hallucination.” – Thomas Edison
