Let me tell you a story about the time that I almost became a member of the Syracuse City Council. I was at work one day, minding my own business, when a friend of mine told me that there was a vacancy on the council due to one of the members stepping down to take a job out of state. All that I needed to do in order to be considered to fill the vacancy was to submit a letter of intent and a resume. It was at this moment that I learned that having an online resume can be used against you. My friend told me that if I didn’t apply, he would submit my resume on my behalf. Since I’m not the type of person who likes to let others determine my fate, I wrote up a letter of intention and sent my resume in to the city clerk. I was soon informed that I would have to give a three minute presentation to the Mayor and City Council at the next meeting. This meeting happened to take place last night.
Normally I don’t get very nervous when speaking in front of groups. Last night was the exception. My heart was pounding and I felt like I was either going to vomit or pass out the whole night. I don’t think that it was because I had to speak in front of a lot of people though. I think that it was because I knew that if I did a good enough job, there was a good chance that I would be the one selected to fill the vacant council seat. It was a big deal and probably the most important speech that I have ever given.
No. I didn’t pass out. I didn’t vomit either. Despite the fact that the whole time I was speaking, I felt like either, or both, could happen at any moment. Surprisingly, I was told that I came off as very confident and my speech seemed to be well received by most of those in attendance. In fact, after the meeting, I was told by more than a few people that I did an amazing job. I was even told by one of the other candidates that by the time I was done speaking, I had him convinced that I should be the one selected.
In the end, I wasn’t the one selected to fill the position. However, some of the things said to me by a few people who were in attendance has me seriously considering participating in the next election. As a candidate, not a voter. I’ve got a few feelers out at the moment so we’ll have to see what the future holds in store.
