Writer Says Leadership Style Matters For New Westfield Mayor

Dear Editor,

Westfield voters are faced with electing the second mayor of our city. All registered voters are eligible to vote in this primary. There is no sign of another candidate running in the general election, so the winner of the May 2nd primary will be our next leader. Each of the three candidates contributed to the community in different ways. All three currently serve in our city government. They have spouses and children who make Westfield their home. The candidates are from Generation X, between Baby Boomers and Millennials. All the candidates say they want to stop the expensive infighting between the mayor’s office, the clerk-treasurer’s office and the city council. Kristen Burkman, Jake Gilbert, and Scott Willis want to win the election and serve as your mayor for four years or more.

There were three opportunities to get to know the candidates better in person, the Republican Forum, the Westfield High School Forum, and the Westfield Chamber of Commerce Debate. We got a real feel for their type of leadership in these public discussions. Generation X is referred to as the “latchkey generation”, and we see their independence and work-life balance. None of the candidates grew up in Westfield, but Burkman graduated from Sheridan, Gilbert went to Ben Davis on the west side of Indianapolis, and Willis is from Kokomo.

It is clear that life experiences form leadership styles, and the mayoral candidates represent three very different types. Burkman was an executive for a Fortune 400 company, earned a BS in Marketing, MBA, is finishing a Doctorate in Leadership and serves on the Westfield Advisory Plan Commission. She has a Collaborative leadership style, supportive and innovative. Gilbert has a BA in History, Master’s in Educational Leadership, is a WHS high school teacher and coach, and is on the city council. He has a Coach leadership style focused on motivation. Willis has a BS in Engineering, served in the Marine Reserves for 30 years, worked in recruiting services, and is on the city council. His leadership style is Bureaucratic, hierarchical and duty-focused.

Westfield is the fastest growing city in the state, but the current city leadership has failed to keep up with the changes and needs. With the dysfunction, they lost significant investment needed facing the nearly 90 percent residential tax base. The population is expected to double in the near future. Which of the three candidates is best suited to handle the financial chaos of Grand Park and Grand Junction, stop the millions of dollars flowing to attorneys handling the fighting in city government, and end the lack of transparency from the last 15 years? Which person will be proactive, instead of reactive? Who will make decisions based upon best land use, instead of hand-shake deals? Which person can read, assess, and understand the intricate financials of the city? Who will invest in land for future parks and not underground tunnels? Who will be inclusive and not exclusive? Which candidate has led and worked with adults in a business environment similar to what the city needs to move here? Which person has the temperament to respond to the daily challenges of leading a changing city? Who do you believe has the capacity to understand the mental health challenges of our population and help them instead of locking them in jail?

The mayoral campaigns for the three candidates reveal which one is best qualified for the job. The election process gives voters clues to the intent of each candidate. Gilbert and Willis chose to take campaign donations from special interests, Burkman did not. Gilbert and Willis mailed a wasteful amount of campaign materials, but Burkman did not. Campaign donations do not make a better candidate, especially when they are from developers. It is the hope that each Westfield voter will discard irrelevant distractions and consider the type of leader who will use tax dollars most effectively, fairly, and in the best interest of the city.

How will the next Westfield mayor compete with other cities to bring businesses? They all say they can do it. Did Gilbert and Willis do anything to recruit businesses while serving on the city council? Did they increase funding to hire more staff to seek businesses? Companies are looking for stability, preparedness, and tax benefits. They also want to see representation and the next city council may be seven men, with no women. Burkman is not only the first woman to run for mayor of Westfield, but she is by far the best suited to lead our city at this time. We need a chief executive who has experience in a business world managing peers whose voices are respected. Often actions speak louder than words. How will Gilbert and Willis lead women? Neither have publicly stated how or if they will include women in their administrations. Burkman has publicly committed to adding women and more age diversity to boards and commissions. Cindy Spoljaric won more votes than the mayor in her campaigns to serve on the Westfield City Council At-Large. The citizens of Westfield are ready for a woman to lead, and only Burkman has the capability to end the macho posturing plaguing our city government. Gilbert and Willis are overseeing negative campaigns, Burkman is not. If you want Westfield to become a better place to live and work for everyone, then hire the person who is not afraid of competition and will fight everyday for all the citizens, no matter their age, race, sex or party. Make history by voting for a new kind of leader who is now studying transformational strategies to achieve common goals. She will use innovation and collaboration to guide us from disorganization to a unified team ready to succeed together.

Molli Cameron

Westfield