A personal message from Zim . . .

Howdy!

I’m running for City Council. While I’m new to politics, I’m not new to what politics ought to be about: people, issues and problem-solving. In short, good politics is about leadership, and I’ve spent my whole life developing leadership skills. I don’t say this boastfully. It’s just a fact. While others studied law, medicine or accounting, I’ve focused on leadership. I’m eager to bring leadership to the Council during these especially difficult times.

Leadership isn’t mysterious. It’s a set of skills. attitudes and experiences. It begins with perspective. I’ve spent most of my life in Texas with people, like you and me, who love this part of the world. I graduated from Texas A&M and moved to Fort Worth. My first job at Lockheed became a life-long career helping develop and support the many evolutions of the F-series aircraft. In our early years in Fort Worth, my wife and I learned firsthand about the challenges of making ends meet – especially when raising two boys. Like many of you, we learned the hard way about schools, property taxes, crime and other issues that affect our daily lives. That’s perspective I carry with me today.

It was Lockheed that shaped my professional life.

It was a real-life learning laboratory, not just about aircraft and technology but about practical leadership. Management training came every day as I supervised ever-growing groups of engineers and technicians. At one time, over 3,000 people were assigned to my division. I learned fiscal discipline by bringing multi-million dollar projects in on-budget. I learned people skills by managing and motivating teams of diverse personnel as together we supported the most sophisticated aircraft in the world.

But, professional skills are just part of a leadership resume. My work with numerous Fort Worth charities like: the March of Dimes, the United Way and the Crowne Plaza Colonial Invitational, have warmed my heart. And, as an Elder at my church, I’ve learned humility. Giving back something to others is life’s most important lesson.

I’ve been told I’m a natural leader. I’m not sure what that means. What I do know is that whatever I’ve accomplished has not come “naturally” but rather with hard work. I’ve always followed the same disciplined approach. Do your homework. Listen to all points of view. And, then make decisions. To me, that’s the only way to get things done whether it’s at Lockheed, the United Way or at City Hall.

I hope you’ll support my campaign so that together we can make a difference in this great city of ours.

Sincerely,