OpEd- Experience Without Results Helps No One

By Larry Vetter

There are two aspects to the quality of a candidate for office. They are ability and strength of character. Often people mistake time in office for ability. Time does not necessarily equate to success. Strength of character begins with the obvious; integrity and honesty and extends to the not so obvious: work ethic and persistence.

All candidates, including myself, believe they have the ability to “get the job done”. What does that actually mean? I believe that all candidates and elected officials begin with a desire to make their jurisdiction a better place to live. All are filled with good intentions. Good intentions are a necessity in the beginning, but become useless if they are not carried out.

During my years in Smithtown, there have been a number of proposals and issues discussed in the political arena, some good and some bad. More often than not, ideas wither on the vine and instead of moving forward, they stagnate. Too often we all hear these common excuses: “One person blocked my proposal. I was prevented from fulfilling my promise. It wasnʼt my fault. It was the stateʼs or the countyʼs responsibility. There was too much infighting and we could not work together”. Whether or not that may be true, we do not elect officials for good intentions, but rather results. Regardless the circumstances, if an official is not fulfilling his/her promise or not performing his/her duty, it behooves us all to find the alternative. That is why we have Election Day.

In my business, I am ultimately responsible for everything. By the end of the day I need to show results or I might be out of business very soon. It is not enough to blame someone else or some unforeseeable snag. I need to discover a way around it, resolve the situation and move forward. If our elected officials had that degree of commitment, Smithtown would be a much better place to live.

Work ethic, integrity and strength of character are all intangibles. It is an easy process to tell everyone you possess these qualities, but quite another one to exhibit them. As a young man, I spent a number of years in the trucking industry in the time before computers, cell phones or GPS. Even CB radios were rare because of cost. Work was performed essentially on a promise made over the phone, or a handshake or simply via word of honor. There were no contracts drafted by the legal department, signed and notarized and accompanied by a “hold harmless” signature and insurance forms with additionally insured. There was nothing to hold your feet to the fire other than your personal integrity.

That way of life and of doing business was ingrained in my psyche and to this day is the way I run my business and my life. If only our public officials had the same principals and commitment. The time has come to stop making excuses. Experience without results does not help this town and the families living here.

We live in an era of readily available information. A click of the mouse and you can discover much about a person. I urge all readers to take advantage of that free information and really learn about all prospective candidates. Make on informed choice this November, not one based on emotion or perception or habit. Choose the right people to guide this town into the future and make sure that our kids, grand children and even great grand children have an opportunity to enjoy life and nature in our community.

Larry Vetter is the Democratic Candidate for Town Council