Sean Davis for Astoria

Active Leadership Means Showing Up

Leadership does not only happen behind a dais, inside a meeting room, or during a formal campaign event. Sometimes leadership looks like showing up to practice, listening carefully, helping a small business owner, moving furniture, or clearing out a damaged room because someone in the community needs a hand.

On Tuesday, we had our first practice for the Clatsop County Softball League. Rogue Cell, the nonprofit I co-founded, put together a team made up of veterans and non-veterans alike. The idea came from a conversation I had with Clatsop County Commissioner-elect Mike Brosius. We talked about how many people in the public do not really know veterans anymore. They may have had a grandparent who served, or some extended family connection, but a lot of what people understand about veterans comes from movies, television, and headlines.

That matters.

Veterans are often portrayed as broken, dangerous, damaged, or defined only by trauma. The truth is more complicated and more human than that. Many of us do live with disabilities. Many of us carry things from our service. We have faults like everyone else. But we also have skills, discipline, humor, loyalty, experience, and a deep desire to keep serving our community and country.

That is part of what Rogue Cell is trying to show. Veterans are not separate from the community. We are part of it. We can coach, play, volunteer, organize, mentor, build, listen, and lead. Sometimes a softball team is just a softball team. Sometimes it is also a small act of connection.

Wednesday was quieter. I caught up on house chores and had a small barbecue before Katie Frankowicz called to interview me as the first official candidate for mayor of Astoria. In fact, I am the first candidate to file for any elected position in Clatsop County this cycle.

We talked about what I have learned over the last six or seven months while sitting in on every Astoria City Council meeting, along with many county and port commission meetings. She asked what the first thing I would do after being elected.

My answer was simple: I would listen and learn.

In the military, I learned that good leaders do not walk into a new position and start making big promises about changing everything on day one. A good leader takes time to understand the team, the mission, the strengths, the weaknesses, and the real problems in front of them. I would want to get to know the city staff, the other councilors, and the systems already in place before pretending I have all the answers.

But I also wanted to make clear that my leadership style is different from what people may be used to.

I believe leadership is more than attending meetings and issuing proclamations. Good leadership means being out in the community, building relationships, setting an example, developing a sense of responsibility in the people around you, and helping others succeed by understanding their strengths and weaknesses. It means doing the work, not just talking about the work.

This morning, I did a walk-through with small business owners James and Nina Whiddon at the American Legion to see if we can help bring Jambot Doughnuts back to Astoria in some form. There is still work to do, but it is looking good, and I am hopeful.

After that, I met with Clatsop County Chair Mark Kujala about creating a Veterans Advisory Committee. We also talked about my campaign for mayor. I could tell he was guarded and not entirely sure what to think of me as a candidate. I understand that. I see that look in the eyes of more than a few elected officials now that my name is officially on the ballot.

People are asking if I am liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican. Honestly, I am a guy from a middle-class working family who believes he can help make a positive difference in his community. I am registered with the Working Families Party, if people want to know, but my values cannot be summed up in one word or one category.

Give me a chance and get to know me.

I believe one of my strengths is that I listen. My mind can be changed by a good argument. And argument is not always a bad thing, as long as it is backed up by evidence, sincerity, and a real desire to solve problems.

Tomorrow morning, I am helping move furniture for Heather at the Art Mart for her new art show. I hope people check it out and support local art. On Sunday, I am helping Susan at the Armory clear out a room that had water damage.

That may not sound glamorous, but that is the point.

Helping your neighbor is how you make a community stronger. Showing up is how trust gets built. Leadership is not just what you say during a campaign. It is what you do when nobody is required to notice.

I am not afraid to get my hands dirty, especially when it helps a neighbor, strengthens a local organization, or moves Astoria one small step forward.

The time for observation is shifting into the time for active leadership.