Why Voters Should Vote for Me for District 3 of the Guilford County Board of Education (Part 1)

The New Year has just started and Primary Day, March 15, will be here before we know it. Accordingly, I thought it would be a good time to get back to my blog and start providing more details on why those who live in District 3 in Guilford County should vote for me for the Guilford County Board of Education in the Republican Primary on March 15.  Rather than write one very long blog entry, I have decided it would make more sense to put together a series of entries that I will release over a course of weeks.

It's my hope that those who read these blog entries will

1.  Vote for me on March 15, 2016 if they are eligible to vote in the Guilford County Board of Education District 3 Republican Primary;
2. Register as Unaffiliated or Republican if they live in Guilford County Board of Education District 3;
3. Donate to my campaign by visiting www.brianpearce.org;
4. Share my posts on Facebook and other social media;
5. Ask those folks you know who are on Facebook to "Like" my campaign Facebook page which is www.facebook.com/Pearceforschoolboard/;
6. Ask those folks you know who live in Guilford County Board of Education District 3 to register as Unaffiliated or Republican and to vote for me in the Guilford County Board of Education District 3 Republican Primary.

Getting back to the title of this series of posts, so why should voters in Guilford County vote for me for the Guilford County Board of Education.  

Reason Number 1

When I Decide to Take on a New Role There is No One Who Educates Themselves More and Works Harder At Doing a Good Job in that Role Than I Do.

I believe my track record speaks for itself regarding how I perform when I take on a new role or get involved in a public project. Over the years, I have thrown my name into the public arena in many volunteer activities in Guilford County and made a difference.  Be it working with the Wyndham Championship, volunteering for Atlantic Coast Conference events with the Greensboro Sports Council, or serving the City of Greensboro as a Chair of the Greensboro Board of Adjustment, when I take on a role, I put everything that I have into that role to make as much of a difference as I possibly can.  After all, one of my favorite quotes is the Mahatma Gandhi quote "Be the Change That You Wish to See in the World."  Not only is this quote one of my favorite quotes, but it is also a motto I take into every role that I accept.

As an example of how I involve myself in roles that I take on, I'd ask that all readers take a quick look at the prior entries in my blog that dealt with the lobbying efforts I became involved with in an attempt to try to make Autism Insurance Reform happen.  Rather than limiting my involvement by just being another name on a list, I put myself to the forefront of the efforts in order to make change happen. These efforts led to good, but unfortunately not perfect, legislation being passed in North Carolina.  The efforts also led to me being named as one of three Autism Speaks National Parent Advocates of the Year.  This award was a tremendous honor because it culminated years of hard work and was presented to me by some folks that I truly respect.

One of these reasons that I was successful with my lobbying efforts on the Autism Insurance legislation was because I studied the issue as much as I could so that I was informed on all aspects of the issue.  Early in my legal career I was discussing a case with a partner with whom I work with.  In the course of that discussion, this partner emphasized to me the importance of looking at an issue from each and every angle when determining how to best address that issue.  That conversation really left a mark on me and it shapes the way I address all of the issues that I encounter that need intense attention.  Indeed, when examining an issue I picture the issue in my head as in the middle of a circle and I feel I need to look at that issue from every spot around the circle.  Taking this approach, I have found what a difference it makes to look at an issue from every angle and educate myself on every angle.  In my experience it is important to be educated and well spoken on these issues because by doing so people will take you seriously when you speak. When you are taken seriously, people tend to also trust you and it is that trust that is of the utmost importance in getting things done.   

In my mind a lot of people show their weaknesses in making arguments because they do not educate themselves on the topic they are arguing for before making their argument.  This fact cuts at the credibility of any argument and makes people tend to struggle to accept an argument.  Unfortunately I believe we are seeing this occur more and more as we seem to have moved into a world of "one line" positions where people continually take positions that they cannot back up.

I can promise that as a member of the Guilford County Board of Education I will educate myself in full on all issues that we need to address and I will do my best to make sure that the Guilford County Board of Education makes only truly informed decisions.  In making these decisions I will ensure that the Guilford County Board of Education does not settle for simply listening to the advice of its counsel or to the direction of the Superintendent.  Instead, I will make sure we listen to all of the stakeholders, specifically including teachers and parents (who are the most important of the stakeholders), and make a decision based on what is best for all of the students in Guilford County.  I will also make sure we educate ourselves on all possible alternatives prior to making a decision.  It is going to be a lot of work and it is going to be hard work. But, my record shows that I do not back down when it comes to a lot of hard work.  Nope, rather than back down in the face of hard work, my record shows that I excel when faced with hard work by taking the bull by the horns and getting done what needs to get done in order to make a good decision.

Until the next entry...