Talking Transparency Is Easy; Delivering It Is Leadership

In every campaign, there are certain words that get thrown around because they sound good. “Transparency” is one of them.

Saying you’re in favor of transparency is a little like saying you’re in favor of honesty or clean air. It’s obvious. It’s expected. And by itself, it doesn’t actually say much about your understanding of government or how you plan to make it work better for the people you serve.

Leadership isn’t putting transparency on a web page or campaign mailer. True leadership is doing the heavy lifting of being in the community and listening to residents. That is why I’m holding town hall meetings, visiting dozens of neighborhoods, walking the streets with our firefighters and knocking on doors.

Of course, I believe in open government. When I served on the Palm Beach Gardens City Council, I didn’t just talk about transparency, I practiced it. I published a weekly newsletter making sure residents knew what their government was doing and why it mattered.

But here’s the part of the transparency conversation that gets overlooked by those whose only experience is watching instead of doing:

Transparency is not just about making information available. It’s about encouraging people to seek it.

There’s a difference between sitting on the sidelines calling for transparency and doing the hard work that truly engages the community.

If no one is paying attention, the goal hasn’t been achieved.

That’s why I believe the real objective isn’t transparency for transparency’s sake. The real goal is community awareness and civic involvement. Transparency only works if people are actually looking, listening, and participating. That’s where real leadership and experience matters.

I am committed not only to keeping information open and accessible, but to finding better ways to spark interest, encourage participation, and help residents understand how decisions affect their lives. That means communicating clearly. It means meeting people where they are and giving them a reason to care about what’s happening at City Hall.

It’s easy to shout about transparency from the cheap seats. What’s more challenging, and far more meaningful, is having experience doing the work to turn openness into awareness and awareness into involvement.

When residents are informed and engaged, our entire city is stronger. That’s the kind of transparency I believe in. And that’s the kind of leadership I will continue to bring to Palm Beach Gardens.