Episode 06 Shea Dobson
At the time of writing this I’m thinking of a line out of a song I know. “I wiped my brow and kept pushing through.”
Simon Sinek is a motivational speaker that has touched millions of people with his message about being people-centrist. The organics of humanity will drive the needs and desires of the community. It isn’t tribalism. It’s an open forum for who needs what. He has influenced my leadership perspective and I can see the same thing in my guest today. Simon’s quote that comes to mind is, “what is a society? It’s a group of people with a common set of values and beliefs. What is a community? It’s a group of people with a common set of values and beliefs”.
When we look at our community, through the lens of politics as we know it today, We’re divided based on the duality of who we vote for. In the local realm, people still identify with an R or a D. we might say, well that’s tribalism! We can’t have that! That’s true--we can’t have tribalism. But it’s a short sided answer. See local politics at the mayoral level is as least partisan as you can get. It’s about understanding the needs of the community. The fact you have to declare your allegiance to a party is nuance at best. It’s hyperbole. The smaller the community, the more connected you are. The population of ocean springs is barely enough to fit the Mississippi gulf coast coliseum. Plus the Mississippi I know are kind enough that I’d bet we’d fit the remaining 2800 no problem.
My point is this, community is less about political labels and more about the things that make us who we are. We are a strong city. Ocean Springs values creativity, art, business, and the harmonious living space we share with nature. The political labels seem to be a disgusting garnish on a plate best served al le carte.
This brings me to my guest. My guest is Shea Dobson. Shea is a young mayor. We were in high school at the same time. He has done an amazing job keeping a city alive and thriving. Not immune to tough decisions, Shea does a wonderful job explaining the struggles of managing a city with a vigor of transcendence for arguably the greatest city in the state. He has his challenges. He has his challengers. He addresses both directly...adding to the illustrious strength he conveys. I’m proud to call Shea a friend; a brother; and my mayor. Everyone, please welcome, Shea Dobson.