My Dad Led Dallas for Eight Years. Here's What I Learned Watching Him

When Mike Rawlings chose to run for mayor of Dallas, he was answering a call to serve a place that had given him so much. Ask him and he will tell you: Dallas gave him the opportunity to have a dignified and successful life. It gave him a place to earn a living, to create a home, to raise a family. In serving our city for eight years as mayor, my dad hoped to extend that same opportunity to everyone, from new residents moving here from all over the world to lifelong residents who had not been afforded his opportunities because of the ZIP code they were born in, or the color of their skin or any number of reasons people are unjustly prevented from realizing their full potential. This concept might seem obvious: Elected officials should put the people they represent above anything else, especially their own interests. But the politician who lives this out is too rare. And maybe we should consider that our standards for the people who represent us are too low.   Continue reading...