Coming out of the passage of legislation that created a regional transit authority for metro Atlanta, I often get asked why a legislator from North Georgia would choose to tackle transit in metro Atlanta – more than 60 miles away from my home, and during an election year, no less.
It wasn’t easy, but as I reflect on the work so many of us put in to establish the Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority, or The ATL, I realize that the process we took could be a model for tackling some of our region’s other challenging issues.
First, let me tell you a bit about myself. I spent the first 20 years of my professional life in law enforcement. The part of the job I enjoyed the most was the interview process.
I discovered the importance of listening – not only what someone was saying, but how they said it. As long as someone was willing to talk, I would sit for hours in an interview room. I wanted them to feel comfortable with me and develop a bond – which often led them to tell the truth about what had taken place.
I learned two big lessons through my career. First, listen to people; listen to everyone. And second, don’t be afraid to go against the grain or tradition on how folks are used to getting things done.
So that leads us to regional transit, and the question about why a guy from a rural community in North Georgia wanted to take on this issue.
The answer is simple: I’m convinced that most of what we do day-to-day in the Legislature no one will talk about a year from now – and especially not 20 years from now. However, when we move mountains together, people will remember. Particularly when the issue has the potential to directly or indirectly benefit so many. That is what compelled me.
The transit issue had been talked about and studied for years. But with the support from House Speaker David Ralston, State Sen. Brandon Beach, and local leadership from around Atlanta, this year was the time. We had a unique window of opportunity that would not always exist.
During the months of hard work and cooperation that led to The ATL, a number of people expressed concerns with my approach, because there was not a great deal of activity or fanfare.
I have been in too many meetings and have watched people talk an issue to death, but never move the needle. Now was the time for bold action. Early in the process, the Speaker had given me clear direction, along with his blessing to take decisive action, and that is exactly what we intended to do.
Much of our work went on behind the scenes. We made a list of every stakeholder with an interest in this area, and I met with every single one. I wanted to understand where we differed and where we agreed.
Just like in my law enforcement days, people were willing to open up to me because I listened. Sure, some people were skeptical at first, but over time, that skepticism grew into respect.
We have a lot of difficult issues in our state that need to be addressed. Having worked for the last two years on transit with some amazing leaders, I am confident that together we can take on any issue, solve any problem, and move the highest mountain.
Together, we can bring a novel and some would say naïve idea to the political world, an idea that seems so simple, but which is often lost in this arena. That it is the time to listen to one another, to work with one another, to lay our personal ambitions aside for the greater good of those we have been called to serve.
We are not always going to agree on every turn we need to make in the road, but we can agree on where we are going.
