I would like to express my support for one of the candidates in the race for Signal Mountain Town Council, Mr. Rob Hensley.
I am not one to typically share my thoughts on politics in public, but I feel that when a community is as fortunate as ours to have such a candidate as Rob Hensley, it would be wrong not to inform folks on Signal Mountain what an asset he would be to the Town Council. Luckily, Town Council elections have, in my opinion, very little to do with the chaos surrounding national politics, and are elected positions that truly exemplify what it means to be a public servant, where a candidate will give his time and energy to the people who are his neighbors.
I believe that Mr. Hensley has qualities that would be great for all of us on Signal Mountain. He has experience in leadership and service that go back to his university education at the Air Force Academy, not only handling the rigors of a difficult academic work load, but also shouldering all the military training requirements that all cadets endure, and even adding to that workload his participation in college athletics. If any of you folks have had a chance to talk with a military academy graduate, you will understand what an astounding work load that would have been. While I spent my days trying to figure out ways to skip class, he was put through a physical and mental regimen that would have brought me to my knees and sent me crawling home in tears of exhaustion. Yet, he excelled, as do most of the fine men and women who attend our military academies.
With his Academy training, he learned from the best what it takes to be a good leader. Upon graduation from the Air Force Academy, he spent many years serving in the U.S. Air Force, working in military intelligence for about 10 years, further honing his skills of leadership, discipline and service to others. After the Air Force, he took his superior work ethic into the business field, and has shown to all who know him the meaning of hard work, attention to detail, and team leadership.
And, let us not forget the true measure of the man, his dedication to his family as a husband and father, something I have witnessed first hand, as his eldest son and my son grew up together since preschool.
As is true of many of those with a sense of service and a volunteer spirit, Signal Mountain has been lucky to have citizens like Mr. Hensley, working as he has for many years serving as a leader in many volunteer organizations that directly support our schools up on Signal Mountain, from elementary to high school. He has worked with parents, coaches and teachers to support numerous athletic projects for our kids of all ages. He has been a positive influence in more ways than I can count. I wish I had his drive and dedication, that's for sure.
At a time when it seems everyone is self absorbed and self centered, when everyone is casting stones and throwing shade, Mr. Hensley never lets his natural optimism be tainted, he just roles up his sleeves and gets to work to solve problems, not letting himself get distracted by negativity. He has a true "can do" spirit. He is intelligent, thoughtful, doing his best to understand all sides of an issue. He makes it a priority to be well informed on all aspects of an issue, listening to all viewpoints, weighing pros and cons, and only coming to a conclusion when he has dissected a problem so far down that nothing is left unexplored, because he knows that one must be open to all possibilities to move forward, one must completely understand an issue in order to face the future. He has been doing this all his life, in all aspects of his life. He looks forward, not backward, with the understanding that looking forward will enable Signal Mountain to maintain its small town charms and not be left to flounder as the city and county change around us. And complementing his analytical skills, he also has the one invaluable quality of a good leader, he knows how to make critical decisions when critical decisions must be made, he will know how to get things accomplished.
This is the type of person you want on your team, this is the guy who can handle complex and difficult issues that face any town. I know Rob Hensley will be a great asset to our Town Council because of his exceptional qualities. I endorse and wholeheartedly support Mr. Rob Hensley for Town Council of Signal Mountain in the upcoming election. Cast your vote for him and you will not be disappointed. Leaders like him make our communities great.
Forrest Sowell, M.D.
Signal Mountain