Over the last few weeks, I have had the privilege of having some thought-provoking conversations with residents about the themes of some the previous articles related to infrastructure improvements, technological advancement, green power generation and change in general. They asked great questions and shared thoughts on everything from costs and investment to why these themes resonate with me so strongly. After these conversations, it made sense to share some of the discussion points here in this column and, particularly, it seemed prudent to share where my passion for it comes from.
Like most important things in life, it starts with family. My son is a constant reminder that I have an obligation to leave this world better than I found it, so that he can thrive. Of course, this is the burden of all parents. We feel the never-ending pressure of trying to meet the needs and expectations of our children. This pressure is not born out of fear, but out of love. A type of love that values one more hug, one more laugh, or one more smile more than anything else in the entire world. A love that children will not understand until they become parents themselves.
That type of love is what moves me to try and fix what can only be described as a very broken world. A world that our children will inherit if nothing changes. So, the obligation of fixing the problems in our community, be it technological or otherwise, can be felt at a deeply personal level for myself and likely many others. For we will all stand in judgement before our children one day, facing the inevitable questions of our role in building their future.
Knowing that we are armed with that undying love for our children gives me a deep well of hope that we can fix what is broken. As Albert Einstein said, “in the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.” The challenges we have endured through the last two decades (or more) have many lessons in them, and the past does not have to be prologue. We can start re-building our communities to reflect the reality that we want. For me, that takes on a very literal sense. Let’s build the infrastructure that our children will need in the future. There is no reason to wait because most of the infrastructure of today has met the end of its useful life within the last decade.
Now is the time to reinvest and reimagine what our community can be. If we want to be more energy independent and invest in green technology, than let’s try and do it. Even if we can’t get be 100-percent sustainable or 100-percent energy independent, we can be less reliant on fossil fuels and leave a more useful infrastructure for our children to build from when they are in charge. The same goes for smart technology and local municipal 5G expansion. It is not just likely, but certain, that the proliferation of technology into homes and business will become a central figure in their success and growth, just as electrical power was over 100 years ago. Again, we can begin to build the necessary structures now so that our children have something to expand and build off. A blueprint for their own success. The same goes for roads, bridges, and everything all the way down to storm water management.
Obviously, all of this will come with costs. As it always does. Just as we have the responsibility to fix issues in our community, we also have the responsibility to be fiscally intelligent. However, the cost of upgrading and improving our community should not be kicked down the road for our children to deal with. As stewards of the community, that is our burden to bear. It is our job to find ways to intelligently fund these projects without breaking the bank or putting undue burdens on residents. That is what makes it hard, and “it is supposed to be hard, the hard is what makes it great” (yes, that is a quote from A League of Their Own).
I truly believe we possess the drive to meet the challenges and expectations of our children, and I am excited to see how far we can go together.
(Mayoral Musings is a weekly op-ed column submitted to North Penn Now, courtesy of Lansdale Borough Mayor Garry Herbert.)
See also:
Mayoral Musings: Remembering Doctor King
Mayoral Musings: A Decade Of Infrastructure Upgrades To Come
Mayoral Musings: 5G And The Technological Future Of Lansdale
Mayoral Musings: The Dawning Of New Decade For Lansdale
Mayoral Musings: Lansdale Creates Environmental Action Committee
