Well, folks, Christmas, New Year’s and Winter Conference have come and gone. Also of note, a major freezing rain/snow/sleet storm crashed into our state bringing single-digit temperatures on both sides of zero. Seems like every few years we get punched in the face by Old Man Winter.¹ Snowmagedon hit in February of 2021.² Twenty-two-plus inches of snow! Most of us were homebound for almost a week. At Casa Hayes we had two puppies, Zorro, the Local Controller in Training and the ancient orange cat.³ Good times. This go around seems substantially different. In my neck of the woods, we primarily got sleet. A lot of sleet. Ten inches of sleet that came in waves. Mother Nature⁴⁵ or Old Man Winter, take your choice, chose to dump 2 or so inches of sleet, stop for a while and then spit out a little snow and freezing rain. Another layer of sleet would soon follow along with a little more snow and freezing rain. Rinse and repeat several times and voila, 10-plus inches of densely packed sleet. Here’s the interesting part: layers. I know, I know. Layers. How interesting can that be? Good point but bear with me. My highly scientific study (insert eye roll) found a densely packed covering that I could walk on often without sinking in more than a quarter of an inch! Weird. When I cleaned my truck’s windshield I discovered two or three layers of sleet after digging through the top one. Like a cake! One after another. I’ve seen a lot of winter storms but never anything like that! Sleet layers, who knew?!

I’m writing this on Sunday after the storm before and between football games and on Monday January 26. BTW, who would have guessed that the New England Patriots⁶ and the Seattle Seahawks⁷ were going to be the teams in the Super Bowl when the season began last August?! I digress. The storm is my current focus. I’m worried about staff and their family as well as each of you. We’re a good municipal team across the state so I’m hoping each of you are safe and sound. I wonder if we’re good enough for the Super Bowl? LC isn’t buying it so I’m moving on.

Just 10 days ago we completed Called to Serve ’26. The last session was the Inspire Breakfast, and what an inspiration it was! General Wesley Clark gave a magnificent talk on leadership, accountability and civility. His observations on the world were fascinating. General Clark⁸ is an amazing man and an incredible human being. His lifelong commitment to public service and his accomplishments are the thing of a Hollywood movie. Here are just a few that speak to how great a person he is:

Class valedictorian of his high school
Graduated first in his class from West Point and became a four-star general as well as completing Ranger and Airborne schools
Was a Rhodes Scholar
He has a master’s degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University
Speaks four languages fluently (English, Spanish, German and Russian)
Served in Vietnam and was shot four times while leading an assault that was successful
Recipient of the Bronze Star, the Silver Star and Purple Heart
Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Supreme Allied commander in Europe and head of all NATO forces
Acclaimed lecturer and author.

Wow! That’s an amazing testament of a great American. We were so fortunate that he joined us. His message is exactly the kind of thing we all need to hear.

We must turn down the rhetoric and stop the name calling.

Facts must carry the day whether they are our preference or not.⁹
Civility and respectful dialogue solve problems.
Integrity, honesty and character are the traits we need in leaders.
Respect for the rule of law isn’t optional; it’s a mandate to all of us.
Kindness and caring are not signs of weakness, rather they are what make us better people and leaders.
Working together and settling our differences make us the country the Founders wanted.

We’re all different. Those differences need not divide us. If embraced, they make us stronger—if we just stop talking and start listening. Our country was founded on those philosophies, and General Clark, if you and these good readers will indulge the pun, we salute you not only as a great military leader but as a man of character and dignity.

General Clark’s presentation inspired me as I hope it did you. The truth of your circumstances brings home his message in very clear ways. Of course, “your circumstances” refers to you and your municipality. Your city or town requires attention 24/7/365. I’ve used 24/7/365 in many columns, or maybe just one, I can’t recall for sure.¹⁰ I use it because I believe it accurately reflects what the residents of your community expect from their municipal government. To state the obvious, I don’t think any reasonable person expects you, gentle readers, to remain awake and at your post for an entire year or even a week or a day for that matter. What is expected, however, is that your municipality’s services are accessible 24/7/365. Can you imagine telling a 911 caller “Sorry, everyone’s off today. Perhaps you could call back tomorrow.” Unless there’s an emergency of some sort, imagine telling your constituents water won’t be available for the next couple of years between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. It would most certainly get you ousted in the next election. I make those points only to emphasize that the “municipal mission”¹¹ doesn’t stop at 5 p.m., or ever, for that matter. So, here’s the segue between that mission and the general’s message. I’ll start with the words unity, morality and compromise.

Merriam-Webster¹² provides these definitions:

Unity. A state of not being multiple: oneness. A condition of harmony: accord. The state of being made one: unification.

Morality. A system of moral conduct. The word moral refers to principles of right and wrong. [I call this: The Jiminy Cricket¹³ rule. Jiminy represents conscience, seeing right from wrong. He notes, “Always let your conscience be your guide.”]

Compromise. A settlement of differences. Reaching an agreement by mutual concession.

Before everyone gets on the Pollyanna train or the “Mark, don’t be naïve” mantra, please note that I’m fully aware that the world is not full of united, moral and compromising people. There are naysayers, the greedy and the mean. I do, however, believe that the majority of us are united, moral and desirous of compromise, albeit not as loud as the negative lot. And just like that, there’s the point.

General Clark essentially told us that it’s time to speak up for those three principles. We must be heard. Municipal government is the very definition of those things. It’s not a choice for any of you to ignore your conscience. Your constituents won’t allow it. You cannot stand alone and against your fellow municipal officials because, guess what? Your constituents won’t allow it. Compromise is what you do every day. Let me say that again in a different way. Your work requires constant interaction with the public and your fellow municipal officials. Those interactions point to needs, disagreements and priorities. To get the municipal mission accomplished you must have compromise as a tool in your tool belt. Here’s one example: Mayor submits the proposed budget to the council and the council alters the proposal despite a no vote or two. By definition, a compromise has been reached because a majority of the council passed the budget and now every municipal official is subject to it regardless of whether they would have done it differently or not.

You, each of you, if doing your municipal work correctly are the embodiment of those three principles. You can be counted on to get the most mundane of tasks taken care of as well as the most complicated. From the engineering principles involved in water systems to cutting a ribbon at a park, you are not just the face of the city; you embody its spirit. That spirit wants nothing more than for the residents of that city or town to have healthy and happy lives. Your residents want a united and functional local government. That, folks, is why you do what you do. It’s also why YOU make a great state!

Until next time, Peace. mrh

1
Old Man Winter is a colloquialism for the winter season and is a personification of winter. It stems from Greek mythology, specifically Boreas, the god of winter and wind. Through history other cultures adopted like terminology. For instance, Celtic mythology adopted something similar but in female form, namely the goddess Cailleach. I’m not making this up: Cailleach was referred to as The Divine Hag of Winter! The term hag was also used by the Irish and the Scots, as in The Hag of Beara and The Hag of Bheurra. On our own continent the Potawatomi people of the western Great Lakes area had their own Old Man Winter with the moniker Pondese, which is also found in the legends of the Iroquois people. Apparently, “hag” didn’t make the trek across the Atlantic. https://armuni.org/3ZSq2cK
2
If you’re interested in knowing the winter storms that have hit Arkansas in past 10 years check this out: https://armuni.org/4qpzXld That same database goes back to 1819 if you’re really in need of some dull reading!
3
For those of you blessed enough to have never read my columns, here’s a brief description of the characters who usually appear. The puppies came from the same litter and look nothing alike. They are brother and sister. Brother looks like a golden retriever and sister a squatty light brown doodle. They are “something-doodles” named Teddy and Olive, respectively, and are now 5 years of age. Mama was a goldendoodle and daddy was, shall we say, a traveling salesman. Zorro was our black-and-white second generation goldendoodle. 75 pounds of fuzzy love. Z served as the League mascot, the mascot to ARORP, and was a great family dog. The Local Controller in Training is the daughter. The Local Controller is my beautiful, wonderful wife. She’s often the butt of my columns’ jokes and gags, but she’s the best. The ancient cat is Haddee. She’s million years of age. At one time she weighed in at a whopping 16-plus pounds, and we put out flyers warning neighbors to keep close watch on their small children. Today she’s at least 22 years of bones and fur and she’s LOUD.
4
I’ve written of this divine and fearsome creature on several occasions. Mom is the personification of the natural world. She often gets the blame for rainy vacations and sunburns. The moniker stems from ancient Greece and the primordial goddess of Earth, Gaia, as well as Roman mythology’s Terra Mater, also the mother of Earth. I must say, Terra Mater is quite the byline. I’m from Arkansas so when I see mater, I think Bradley County tomatoes. Change a letter and now you have Tater and tots. Okay, I’ll stop now. https://armuni.org/4rvf6xv
5
I hesitate to mention this…but…I’m gonna! Oh boy, LC is not happy. And, we’re off to the races! The comedian Ron White (colorful language for sure) does a bit about his alias from his teen years “tater salad.” It caught up with him in NYC. Now back to our regular programming.
6
The Patriots were originally the Boston Patriots. The franchise was founded in 1959. However, the team didn’t have a permanent stadium. They played games at Boston University Field for the first couple of years and then, get this, they played home games at Harvard until 1970! In 1971 the team changed its name and moved to their new stadium in Foxboro a few miles south of Boston. https://armuni.org/45QsUug
7
The Seattle Seahawks became a reality in 1974 when the NFL granted the city a franchise. The Kingdome became their home stadium. The name Seahawks was the overwhelming pick of the local community despite citizens submitting over 1,700 possible team names! https://armuni.org/4ceJqIr
8
https://armuni.org/3LYEYD7
9
I’m reminded of some comments from my parents growing up. “Like it or lump it, that’s the way it is” and “Life’s not always fair. Accepting reality and moving on are traits that you’ll need growing up in this sometimes-difficult world.” The like it or lump it has always been a fave of mine. The lump part stems from a verb in the early 19th century meaning sulking or looking disagreeable. It may actually go back to the 1500s. Speaking of lumping it, the Controller is giving me the move along signal.
10
LC says: “Can’t recall. Mmm…sounds familiar.” Well said my dear, well said.
11
You know, that might look good on t-shirts!
12
I’ve had a Merriam-Webster dictionary for as long as I can remember. The ’rents bought me my first when I started first grade. I think I still have it although it’s likely deeply packed in one of the three storage units that I’m paying too much for. In large part they are full of plastic bins containing ancient Christmas décor and furniture we’ll never use, but that’s for another day. At least that’s what the Controller is saying along with “move along please.” Moving along now.
13
I loved the original Pinocchio. I saw it in a theater with my family. That was the only option at that time as we had no way to watch recordings at home. Of course, Disney also did limited release to theaters and not TV during my childhood. It’s sorta the same now I suppose. If you don’t have a particular streaming service you’re not gonna watch certain things. https://armuni.org/4a3bqNU