Open Letter to Mayor-Elect Harter

Mayor-elect Harter,
I mentioned previously how impressed I was with your campaign.  You worked extremely hard to get out and communicate with the voters in La Crosse and your efforts have helped you achieve an incredible victory not only for yourself but for all of us in the La Crosse region who are inspired by your vision and courage.  You recognized very early on that the key to winning a campaign is to earn the trust of the voters.  You showed a great deal of respect for the people of La Crosse by seeking them out and making the effort to reach them.  You showed confident humility by stating your position on the issues within the city and requesting the assistance of your neighbors to help make your vision a reality.

Now comes the hard part.  Now you are the Mayor of La Crosse and the voters will be looking for results.  Here is why it will not be an easy job. There will be individuals who will attempt to set up road blocks at every occasion.  There will be individuals who simply refuse to accept your leadership and will fight you at every turn.  There will be extremely difficult decisions to make in order to accomplish the goals that you have.  You will be getting "advice" from all corners of the city and also from surrounding communities and possibly even from Madison and Washington.

Let me be one of the first to fall into the category of "advice-givers."

Re-read your campaign literature every morning and constantly remind yourself why you are there.  You did not run for mayor just to sit in the mayor's chair.  You ran so that you could help the city become better.  Never forget that and work hard every day to deliver results.

Stay in constant contact with voters and allow them to give you their advice.  Attend the cocktail parties with businessmen and university professors to get their perspectives but also visit the bowling alleys and taverns to get the perspective from "Joe & Suzie Sixpack."  You have the wisdom to decide which suggestions will help or hurt your ability to accomplish the goals you have established but give all the citizens the respect to at least hear what they have to say.

With regard to the nay-sayers and stubborn mules who will fight your every move I suggest you have a close friend at hand whom you can trust completely and assign that person the duty of protecting your honor.  What does that mean?  Your political enemies will attack you in every way imaginable.  They will lie about you, make accusations about you using half truths and innuendo, and spread those lies throughout the community and beyond in order to create the perception that you seek the destruction of the city.  Your "honor guard" must be someone close who can effectively follow the scum and clean up the slime that gets left behind.  In other words this person will be responsible for setting the record straight so the public can know the whole truth. Do not fear the types of people who will behave in such a manner but don't ignore the kind of damage their evil can cause.

I realize that I'm not telling you anything that you don't already know.  Honestly, one of the things that impresses me most about you is the wisdom that you have.  I simply wanted to put into words the ideas and feelings that many people have and to also let you know how much I appreciate your efforts. You truly have inspired me and I pray for your continued success.

Good luck to you sir and God Bless.

Chris Muller