Today I laid over 2000 dollars down at the courthouse annex and signed a bunch of paperwork. I saw Frank Adams, who I had seen at the breakfast and exchanged pleasantries. I tried to be careful about everything, and I also received a large packet of paperwork that read a bit like a quick and dirty guide to starting life as a campaign candidate. It detailed a rough schedule of events as well that I'll be following (when to get paperwork in and when the elections will be). I did this and couldn't help but pass the information on to my friends on Facebook. Junior Cloer was adamant that this payment was clearly unconstitutional and very undemocratic, but as I understand the money will be used to pay for the election.
I put up yet another sign, this time in Chatsworth.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Hustle and Bustle
I've worked for my place of employment for nearly five years and one thing I have learned: I prefer the environment we have on weekends. On weekends I and my coworker are the only two people in our little area, and we often wind up listening to each other's calls. This led to us becoming almost extensions of one another, because we would always help each other on every call (we provide support to a Fortune 500 company) and thanks to the bouncing back and forth of information we sounded consistent as well as knowledgeable. Based on this experience versus an office environment where 20 people are shoved into cubicles with no separation, I've come to realize this may the ideal way to run a call center. I would give 2 people their own office and do things to encourage a partnership to form between them so that they begin to back one another up improving confidence (always difficult to build) and so they can rely on each other to help improve the call experience. In time, they may begin to work as a single unit, effortlessly carrying on a difficult conversation while letting instant messages flow as fast as their inner thoughts would. Also this idea cuts down on the large amount of background noise commonly found in call centers, noise that contributes to the unhealthy atmosphere some of these places have. One day I hope to implement these ideas, perhaps at my own workplace.
Monday, May 9, 2011
The Plan for Murray County
For this entry I'd like to showcase my little manifesto from my current main campaign website, www.planformurray.com :
The Plan for Murray County
by
Leonard Worley
What is this plan? It is a framework, a systematic method for improving Murray County. I do not believe vague promises and empty gestures will continue to fool the electorate of Murray County. The people want to know who can really promise them jobs, who can guarantee the success of enterprise, and frankly, who can keep the place running. This document aims to answer those thoughts, as well as lay down what I will be working for on behalf of the county, whether I am in office or not.
What is Murray County's current greatest problem? The economy of course. Lack of employment in the local engine of commerce –- the carpet industry –- has made many citizens worried that when their unemployment run out so will their ability to pay for anything. Murray County needs jobs that can use unskilled labor (it isn't that we don't have skilled labor, it's just that they are highly skilled in an industry that doesn't seem to need many of us anymore). What can be done?
I am proposing a three-pronged attack on this front. The first thing to be done is to engage in a grassroots public relations effort to explain to any business that will listen why they should consider Murray County. This will catch the eye of businesses looking to expand and perhaps get them to consider the benefits of a presence in Murray County (as commissioner, I would definitely consider tax incentives). It will also raise our profile, allowing more businesses to hear about our community. Also, I feel we need to improve the image of our people, which has been tarnished by much slander.
The second part of this will be considered novel, but important: to retain those native sons and daughters who would like to start a business in our community, we should not only offer a tax incentive but something even better –- actual funding. What I mean by this is that willing citizens (no one will be forced to contribute) should invest in a county-backed corporation, which under the discretion of the shareholders (that would be you Murray County!) will provide funding to start-ups in the community. Think of it! Your patronage would directly influence the dividends you would receive from the corporation! That is, if you get all your friends to visit the new store downtown, making it successful, you would get to share in that success! Our citizens then would have a direct incentive not to leave the county for services that can be had here, as their monthly dividend check would be smaller!
The third part of this is long-term: we need to attract an industry that will replace carpet as our economic engine. For this is crucial to weaning our community from dependence on Dalton. I have strong ideas on what this industry should be, although to many it will sound unorthodox at first.
I propose we attract the retirement industry. What do I mean? Essentially, we need to be like Acapulco and Palm Beach –- choice destinations for retirees. According to Hcareers.com (a leading hospitality site), "“Industry experts agree that the $30-billion-a-year North American elder care and retirement industry is poised to enter a period of unprecedented growth and expansion. The expected growth will be necessary to meet the needs of an aging population, as well as the predicted demand for a greater variety of elder care services.”"
I realize, in the face of this terrible recession, you may wonder who could possibly think of retiring? Even though many nearing the age of retirement are considering working longer, still there are plenty who planned for their retirement, but are now looking for a cheaper but still nice place to spend it in. That's where Murray County comes in. We are the low-cost alternative to Palm Beach and Acapulco, plus we have the advantage of being relatively near to one of the finest hospitals in the nation ( that is Emory) and with Dalton State College, an abundance of nursing personnel. Yes, we need to build our image, but that's why I mentioned the PR campaign – we've got to put the good word out there about our community and its beautiful locales.
Think of it –- with a bit of effort and old-fashioned hard work, we can be the premier retirement community in North America! My idea is that we should differentiate ourselves by keeping our small-town flavor –- a big selling point already –- while managing the growth that will come from the retirement industry in ways that won't lose that flavor. Will this take careful guidance as well as trial and error? Of course! Nothing we do is perfect. But perhaps we can gain a hint of stability for our people.
This plan is something I will work for even out of office. I am happy about the number of people running for commissioner, because where others would see competitors, I see concerned citizens who care about their community and will work to make it better. Thus, I ask all of them to join me in creating a Community Action Group that will work for the betterment of Murray County and her citizens.
Before closing, I should mention one thing that has concerned me for a long time: the second a person gets in their car, they are almost completely lost to Murray County businesses. It's too easy to say to oneself, “Well, I'm in the car already, might as well go onto the mall, or to Walmart, or go have a nice lunch in Dalton.” What can we do? We should plan our community better, by having most businesses withing walking distance of residential areas. If you could walk a block and get your basics, why drive somewhere when gas is nearly 4 dollars a gallon? Let's plan our community so no one wants to leave!
The Plan for Murray County
by
Leonard Worley
What is this plan? It is a framework, a systematic method for improving Murray County. I do not believe vague promises and empty gestures will continue to fool the electorate of Murray County. The people want to know who can really promise them jobs, who can guarantee the success of enterprise, and frankly, who can keep the place running. This document aims to answer those thoughts, as well as lay down what I will be working for on behalf of the county, whether I am in office or not.
What is Murray County's current greatest problem? The economy of course. Lack of employment in the local engine of commerce –- the carpet industry –- has made many citizens worried that when their unemployment run out so will their ability to pay for anything. Murray County needs jobs that can use unskilled labor (it isn't that we don't have skilled labor, it's just that they are highly skilled in an industry that doesn't seem to need many of us anymore). What can be done?
I am proposing a three-pronged attack on this front. The first thing to be done is to engage in a grassroots public relations effort to explain to any business that will listen why they should consider Murray County. This will catch the eye of businesses looking to expand and perhaps get them to consider the benefits of a presence in Murray County (as commissioner, I would definitely consider tax incentives). It will also raise our profile, allowing more businesses to hear about our community. Also, I feel we need to improve the image of our people, which has been tarnished by much slander.
The second part of this will be considered novel, but important: to retain those native sons and daughters who would like to start a business in our community, we should not only offer a tax incentive but something even better –- actual funding. What I mean by this is that willing citizens (no one will be forced to contribute) should invest in a county-backed corporation, which under the discretion of the shareholders (that would be you Murray County!) will provide funding to start-ups in the community. Think of it! Your patronage would directly influence the dividends you would receive from the corporation! That is, if you get all your friends to visit the new store downtown, making it successful, you would get to share in that success! Our citizens then would have a direct incentive not to leave the county for services that can be had here, as their monthly dividend check would be smaller!
The third part of this is long-term: we need to attract an industry that will replace carpet as our economic engine. For this is crucial to weaning our community from dependence on Dalton. I have strong ideas on what this industry should be, although to many it will sound unorthodox at first.
I propose we attract the retirement industry. What do I mean? Essentially, we need to be like Acapulco and Palm Beach –- choice destinations for retirees. According to Hcareers.com (a leading hospitality site), "“Industry experts agree that the $30-billion-a-year North American elder care and retirement industry is poised to enter a period of unprecedented growth and expansion. The expected growth will be necessary to meet the needs of an aging population, as well as the predicted demand for a greater variety of elder care services.”"
I realize, in the face of this terrible recession, you may wonder who could possibly think of retiring? Even though many nearing the age of retirement are considering working longer, still there are plenty who planned for their retirement, but are now looking for a cheaper but still nice place to spend it in. That's where Murray County comes in. We are the low-cost alternative to Palm Beach and Acapulco, plus we have the advantage of being relatively near to one of the finest hospitals in the nation ( that is Emory) and with Dalton State College, an abundance of nursing personnel. Yes, we need to build our image, but that's why I mentioned the PR campaign – we've got to put the good word out there about our community and its beautiful locales.
Think of it –- with a bit of effort and old-fashioned hard work, we can be the premier retirement community in North America! My idea is that we should differentiate ourselves by keeping our small-town flavor –- a big selling point already –- while managing the growth that will come from the retirement industry in ways that won't lose that flavor. Will this take careful guidance as well as trial and error? Of course! Nothing we do is perfect. But perhaps we can gain a hint of stability for our people.
This plan is something I will work for even out of office. I am happy about the number of people running for commissioner, because where others would see competitors, I see concerned citizens who care about their community and will work to make it better. Thus, I ask all of them to join me in creating a Community Action Group that will work for the betterment of Murray County and her citizens.
Before closing, I should mention one thing that has concerned me for a long time: the second a person gets in their car, they are almost completely lost to Murray County businesses. It's too easy to say to oneself, “Well, I'm in the car already, might as well go onto the mall, or to Walmart, or go have a nice lunch in Dalton.” What can we do? We should plan our community better, by having most businesses withing walking distance of residential areas. If you could walk a block and get your basics, why drive somewhere when gas is nearly 4 dollars a gallon? Let's plan our community so no one wants to leave!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Candidate Worley now has his website up and going and is putting signs out all this week. This race is purely a crazy thing, an affliction besetting our little county. Some candidates have what looks like hundreds of signs. I don't have the time to make many signs or much time to put them up. The first two signs I put up are located next to the CVS and across from New Hope Baptist Church. Putting them up was an insane thing done nearly at midnight before the breakfast. It was a cool night and my younger brother and I loaded up the signs and rode to the destinations. Putting them up was interesting - we can barely see what we are doing, and I must admit how thankful I am to have my brother who has been working in construction while I did...work that does not lend itself to exercise. Unlike my fellow candidates, Chris had built my signs from wood, and hammered wooden stakes made from 8-foot two by fours to hold them. Other candidates used metal posts; my budget didn't allow for this, and my construction expert believes my signs will work just fine. We shall see in the coming weeks. My main worry after we got them up was that they may not show up as well as intended. The signs are yellow text on black background (opposite of Britney Pittman's). I couldn't read the text very well myself from our headlights but Chris claimed it showed up well enough, although not as bright as he had hoped either. Oh well, at least I am now a real contender. In the coming days I will have to officially register and qualify.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
The Breakfast (My First Outing as a Political Candidate)
It turns out the Senior Citizen's Center in Chatsworth turns out a wonderful breakfast. For a small donation, I was privileged to partake in this meal. As it turned out, there were 14 candidates for commissioner sitting at a very long table, trying to make small talk with one another. It almost seemed as though we would spend the breakfast just talking to one another nervously, instead of doing that famously political thing: Getting Out Amongst The Public.
Oddly, the chance at a 5 dollar breakfast (with everything you could expect to get on a Shoney's breakfast buffet, and every bit as good) did not bring out the crowds. I did have a chance to speak to few people, one of whom was Sanitation Engineer for Eton. Now, I know the fellow has many other duties, but one of my childhood dreams was to be a garbage truck man. I figured that was a job that people knew was vital, and thus would always be happy to see you coming. And (I was very young) you didn't have to bathe, and it didn't matter what you wore - everyone knew you were a vital part of the community.
So I told him I wanted to ride on the truck. He seemed to acquiesce to this, and so I anticipate that one Saturday morning, I will get to do just that! (Oh come on - I know I'm not the only person who wanted to do this!)
Other highlights:
I met with our Animal Control Officers, who are underpaid and overworked. How's that? They have 2 full-time people to staff an office that deals with hundreds of calls day and night. Lest you forget, Murray County is a rural and agrarian community - which means that calls involve not only dogs and cats, but include livestock and wild animals of all sorts. Which means if you come upon a cow lost in the middle of the road, they'll be the ones who get the call and have to try to sort it out no matter what hour it is. As commissioner, I hope to look into their funding and see what I can do, and if needed, I'll help out (by doing calls!)
I was also reminded on many things that are actually federal issues - school prayer, immigration, abortion, guns, and others. As you can imagine, I can't do anything about federal issues. Going against the feds in the above issue leads to lengthy and may I say EXPENSIVE court cases - and I'm not about to draw the county into such things when it looks like we already have a federal investigation on our hands.
Oddly, the chance at a 5 dollar breakfast (with everything you could expect to get on a Shoney's breakfast buffet, and every bit as good) did not bring out the crowds. I did have a chance to speak to few people, one of whom was Sanitation Engineer for Eton. Now, I know the fellow has many other duties, but one of my childhood dreams was to be a garbage truck man. I figured that was a job that people knew was vital, and thus would always be happy to see you coming. And (I was very young) you didn't have to bathe, and it didn't matter what you wore - everyone knew you were a vital part of the community.
So I told him I wanted to ride on the truck. He seemed to acquiesce to this, and so I anticipate that one Saturday morning, I will get to do just that! (Oh come on - I know I'm not the only person who wanted to do this!)
Other highlights:
I met with our Animal Control Officers, who are underpaid and overworked. How's that? They have 2 full-time people to staff an office that deals with hundreds of calls day and night. Lest you forget, Murray County is a rural and agrarian community - which means that calls involve not only dogs and cats, but include livestock and wild animals of all sorts. Which means if you come upon a cow lost in the middle of the road, they'll be the ones who get the call and have to try to sort it out no matter what hour it is. As commissioner, I hope to look into their funding and see what I can do, and if needed, I'll help out (by doing calls!)
I was also reminded on many things that are actually federal issues - school prayer, immigration, abortion, guns, and others. As you can imagine, I can't do anything about federal issues. Going against the feds in the above issue leads to lengthy and may I say EXPENSIVE court cases - and I'm not about to draw the county into such things when it looks like we already have a federal investigation on our hands.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Time Gaps...
Loyal readers of the blog (like there's 2 of you) will note the time gap between this post and the previous one. I didn't exactly stop writing, but I did stop publishing for a while as I wrote and then considered whether anything I wrote was worth it. Then I said, "Well bugger it!" and then decided if I was gonna write stuff, I may as well publish it somewhere.
So I've gone back to the blog. Theoretically posts after today will be a bit more timely, while previous posts may not match their time period (I didn't really keep up with when things were written, and in many cases used actual paper to write my spiels). From this point I hope to blog bloody daily as best as I can. It would be nice if readership picks up, but we'll just have to see. I've got plenty to say still, and I will push it on here as often as I can.
To update a little bit - I've been sucked into the craziness that is running for County Commissioner in Murray County. As of today, I still have to finish my signs and post them around the county. I also still have to qualify, but I'm ready for that point. Most people probably won't know I'm running till Friday morning, when I'll attend a breakfast held at the Senior Citizen's Center. I'm excited, and even if I don't win this particular race I'll be happy for the experience.
So I've gone back to the blog. Theoretically posts after today will be a bit more timely, while previous posts may not match their time period (I didn't really keep up with when things were written, and in many cases used actual paper to write my spiels). From this point I hope to blog bloody daily as best as I can. It would be nice if readership picks up, but we'll just have to see. I've got plenty to say still, and I will push it on here as often as I can.
To update a little bit - I've been sucked into the craziness that is running for County Commissioner in Murray County. As of today, I still have to finish my signs and post them around the county. I also still have to qualify, but I'm ready for that point. Most people probably won't know I'm running till Friday morning, when I'll attend a breakfast held at the Senior Citizen's Center. I'm excited, and even if I don't win this particular race I'll be happy for the experience.
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