Norfolk Daily News

Wednesday – October 29, 2008

At a Crossroads
NORFOLK — The fact that the Norfolk mayoral race is highly contested is great for the voters with both candidates putting a lot on the line to serve Norfolk. They have given Norfolk maybe some better options than in recent elections.

In my eyes, Norfolk is at a crossroads. This crossroads has 6 to 8 spokes or directions we, as a community, can go. We can no longer afford to give the answers everyone likes to hear. We can’t continually circle the crossroads, afraid of the commitment needed to select a path and move us forward. We need to consider future trends and their impact on the community and region.

Making choices creates dialogue, interaction and, most of all, well-rounded solutions. If one is not willing to make a decision or commitment, we will continue to circle the crossroads, maintain the status quo and lose opportunities — opportunities for Norfolk’s future.

I feel Tom Schommer has proven he is the one candidate who will give direction. Tom’s ideas create seeds for dialogue, interaction and well-rounded solutions. He is willing to listen, to mediate ideas, to collectively move this community forward. Recently he directly helped in considering a shared community facility for public and non-public entities. His leadership created a sense of opportunity of what is possible and reasonable.

MARK HALL