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City lives by tenets of character

By Chandler Mayor Boyd Dunn

Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Courage and Compassion.  Strong words. Strong enough in fact to serve as the foundation for a successful community. The Chandler Alliance for Character—a group of very dedicated residents--has chosen these words as the buildings blocks of a great place. They promote these qualities in the workplace, in our schools and through institutions like local government and service groups.

The Alliance is in the midst of an eight-month campaign to promote its goals and foster greater understanding in the community of the importance of character. It’s a noble effort and one that deserves our attention and praise.

The city of Chandler itself is working toward creating a community of character.  We do this in many ways.

One good example is the work of our many hard-working board and commission members. The Human Relations Commission, in particular, devotes much of its energy toward helping promote respect, integrity and compassion throughout the community.

These are the things that brought most of us to Chandler in the first place. But occasionally, we all need a little nudge, a reminder of the things that are important.  So think about these words again--really think about them. Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Courage, Compassion. 

Respect is about making an effort to understand the people around you. Sometimes that means taking an extra minute to introduce yourself to the new neighbor on the block, or maybe it’s paying attention when someone talks about their culture or beliefs. Respect among my peers on the City Council has allowed us to make many significant decisions affecting the community--and we have done so in a unified manner.

Responsibility means taking an active approach in the community--whether it’s volunteering to tutor a child, participating in a neighborhood association meeting, or even sharing your thoughts and concerns with a council member.  We’re all responsible for setting high standards in our city--and seeing to it they are met.

Integrity is most noticeable when it’s missing. Examples of its absence appear in the headlines every day. Integrity is doing the right thing, whether in a packed City Council chambers or when nobody’s looking. That’s integrity.

Courage is a little more challenging. We know that our firefighters and police officers have it.  But how about the child who includes the not-so-popular kid on the playground?  Isn’t that the kind of courage you’d like your children to have?  We’re setting examples by our actions every day, and believe me, children notice. Teach courage, and you are setting a solid basis for a better future.

Finally, compassion. Our compassion for each other truly shows the character of our community and ourselves. Think about that the next time someone tries to ease into your lane of traffic or brings more than 12 items through the express line at the grocery store.

A little compassion goes a long way toward making day-to-day struggles in a hectic world easier to handle. 

Building a community of character is a challenge to all of us. But don’t be intimidated by the strong words. The residents of Chandler are up to it and are building a strong foundation, a strong community--with character, one small action at a time.

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