A Joint Initiative Between     Heart of Wisconsin     Business & Economic Alliance and     Community Foundation of Greater     South Wood County

Home About Us B2B Club Breaking News Contact Donate Events / Programs Feedback Ideas Incubator Industry Clusters Links / Resources Progess Funds Progress Teams Public Art / Murals Publications		Breaking News December 19, 2004 - Wanted: Leadership graduates on public boards Attorney Alanna Feddick was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Marshfield Common Council this past week, replacing Brad Parks. It's noteworthy that Feddick is the only woman on the council. But it's significant also that Feddick and Parks both are graduates of Leadership Marshfield, one of the leadership-development programs in our region, including the Heart of Wisconsin Community Leadership Program in Wisconsin Rapids, Leadership Portage County and Leadership Wausau/Marathon County. All strive to answer the question, "Where are our new leaders?" The programs' sponsors, generally chambers of commerce and businesses that pay members' fees, intend to identify emerging and potential leaders and develop the skills necessary to enable them to lead. And many program graduates have become leaders or stronger leaders. They have become active in service clubs and advanced in business. But here's a more focused question for the future: "How do we get more of these new leaders to turn up in public office?" Too many of our city councils, village and town boards, school boards and certainly our county boards are dominated by the same people for term after term. Often it's a matter of practicality: No one else steps up to run for office. It's not as though we don't have enough potential fresh candidates in our communities who can make a commitment to get things done. The Heart of Wisconsin Community Leadership Program this year organized a teen concert at Golden Sands Speedway near Plover, among other work. In Marshfield, leadership classes have developed a plethora of community service projects over the years. In Wausau, the program spun off a Hmong Leadership program which worked to register Asians to vote and get them to polling places on Election Day. In Stevens Point, the leadership group created the annual Arts Bash, which this year raised about $30,000 for student scholarships. The four programs in central Wisconsin have churned out around 1,000 leadership graduates. By now, the region's public boards, committees and councils ought to be well larded with the programs' graduates. Alanna Feddick, former Wausau Mayor Linda Lawrence and other leadership graduates in public life are less numerous than one would expect. Perhaps the newcomers' view of leadership does not encompass elective office. Maybe they prefer the behind-the-scenes work of the community. Or, maybe the young folks don't want to be the only ones in their generation on that board, council or committee, and they've never been asked besides If the leadership programs are designed to do projects but not to develop participants' interest in public service, then there's room for improvement. We need people who are engaged enough to organize those community projects, but we also need more fresh faces who can lead our communities toward consensus visions for the future. Current leaders in public office continuously should be grooming their replacements. Sometimes leaders lead by handing over the gavel, even though they don't absolutely have to yet. Last year, Heart of Wisconsin examined the curriculum of its leadership program to ensure it's producing leaders and not just projects. That's a good idea for all the groups. Then their sponsors - chambers of commerce and employers - ought to strongly encourage their graduates to run for local offices and show support. After all, one of the answers to the question, "Where are our new leaders?" ought to be, "On the ballot."
		Copyright © 2004, Community Progress Initiative, South Wood County & Town of Rome