The Power of Change

Engaged, educational, empowering. Are these words you would use to describe the actions of your local Democratic Party? 

In my last couple of blogs, I've addressed our need for the Collin County Democratic Party to create better Vision and Unity. However, if we want to empower people to get involved and stay involved, we have to have find better ways to engage with our community to get Democrats elected. 

For months, I've suggested to Collin County Democratic Party leadership to employ better community outreach programming. It was great to finally see party leadership take steps to address this need. It's equally important though to recognize another case I have presented, continuous improvement strategies. 

Implementing new programming, for any organizational effort, serves a good purpose. CCDP's Ready for '18 program, launched this past Spring, is a good example of trying. But one campaign program effort, especially unwritten, does not a strategic plan make. 

Unless we have a written strategic development plan to ensure our party's continued success, we will continue to face the same problems, not the least of which is not being able to get Democrats elected into partisan office. 

This has been a problem for decades, and unquestionably under the current County Chair's watch. We have to look beyond 2018 to grow as an organization and get Democrats elected.

How do we get there?

There's never one right answer, but there's always a better answer. To grow, we need:

Transformational Leadership:  Since the current two term County Chair, now asking for a third, has failed to elect Democrats into partisan office, we need a new County Chair with a new leadership model.

Strategic Development Plan:  We need an executable action plan to address infrastructure, administrative & operational needs, and continuous improvement planning. Remarkably, the current CCDP leadership structure does not have a written strategic development plan. 

As representatives of the Democratic Party in Collin County, we have an obligation to be recognized as changemakers by helping progressive Democratic Party leaders get elected at all levels of government. 

With a renewed vision and continuous improvement strategies set in motion, we can turn Collin County blue and grow future local, state, and national leaders along the way.

Block Walking in Plano

Speech at a DFW Rally 2017

Hi. I'm Stirling, and I’m running for Plano City Council, Place 8.

A native Texan, born in San Antonio, raised in Central Texas, married in Lewisville. Shortly after the birth of my son in Grapevine, my family visited, fell in love with, and moved to Plano. I've spent a lot of time in North DFW, and now I’m ready to serve our community.

Our community is part of who we all are. It's where all of us - families and individuals alike - share a common appreciation for this little piece of Texas. But what it really is and who we really are is so much more. Just look at us from under the microscope. Because, under the microscope, you quickly come to realize, that deep in the heart of Texas, we’re all the same.

Under the Microscope: We are a representation of who inspires us and who we inspire. As I walked with so many inspired people in the Women’s March on Austin a few short weeks ago, I was reminded of so many women heroes: Rosa Parks, Ann Richards, Michelle Obama, Wendy Davis, Hillary Clinton. They teach us to think about ourselves and our actions from another person’s point of view and to be a better person because of it.

Under the Microscope:  We find a purpose for ourselves and in others. When we consider that women make up 50% of the population of our city, of DFW, of our state, of our nation, of our planet yet equal pay for equal work or that women have the right to choose what to do with their own bodies is arguable by so many, we realize that feminism serves a purpose; when we consider that too many people in Texas still feel a need to wave the confederate flag or join the KKK, that Black Lives Matter serves a purpose; and, when we consider that the state of Texas is willing to spend billions of dollars and lose billions more in revenue to keep a person born the way they are out of the bathroom they were born to go into, that the LGBTQIA community serves a purpose.

Under the Microscope:  the sum of our humanity is what makes us, us. And our humanity really shows us that no matter how small our little corner of the world may seem, that each and every person can and does make a difference in their own communities.

I can tell you what I love about Plano and how I want to make sure those things are available for others to love as well: the libraries, the parks, the nature trails, the diverse populations, the huge number of ethnic grocery stores and restaurants, the public schools (your kid gets to take Chinese, for crying out loud! Non-Plano parents are always so surprised and jealous that Chinese is even an option!) all making Plano this amazing, wonderful, beautiful, vibrant little jewel in Texas.

So, if you’re from Plano, remember to vote for me on May 6th, to be your City Councilperson for Place 8, and let me help you and your family continue to enjoy all of the comforts of life in the city you call home.

Thank you. I'm Stirling Morris, and I appreciate your support.

Meet and Greet in Plano for City Council

Why are you qualified for this position?

I’ve spent the last fifteen years in the construction industry, working with developers, owners, architects, contractors, and even cities to build various projects that benefit and enhance communities. I’ve worked on projects that were added to the National Register of Historic Places, and I understand what goes into preserving our community treasures as well as how new development impacts existing infrastructure and the environment.
I’ve served on non-profit boards, volunteered for charitable organizations, and been part of executive steering committees.

Beyond my work life though, I’m qualified for this position because I’m a citizen of Plano. I live and shop here. I eat here. I form relationships and friendships here. While I’ve never held a political office, I’m a firm believer that government should always be, as Abraham Lincoln put it,  “...of the people, by the people and for the people.” As citizens, we should all feel empowered to add our voices to the government, and that often starts locally. Not everyone comes from politics, but everyone should have an opportunity to add their voice to the conversation.

Why are you running for a place on the Plano City Council?

Plano is my home. Some people call a place home because that’s where they’ve always been, but my family and I deliberately chose Plano. We made the decision to settle here instead of any other city in DFW because we fell in love with Plano. At the end of a long day, there’s no better feeling than coming home to a place you love, a place you want to be, and a place that just makes you happy. And when we get right down to it, who doesn’t want to do everything possible to improve their home community? 

That’s why I’m running for City Council. There is so much to love about Plano, and I want to be on the ground, with my sleeves rolled up, helping to keep Plano beautiful and vibrant. I want to help our city be the best possible version of itself--a city in which all its citizens, from the elderly, to the young; the religious to non-religious; the immigrants and minorities--proudly call home.

Plano Block Walk