CREATIVE  ENERGY

🎶 Creative Energy: The Soundtrack of Service

As humans, we communicate through expression. The ability to generate original ideas is what separates creators from imitators—and it’s the heartbeat of progress. Creativity isn’t a luxury; it’s woven into our culture, our economy, and our communities. From the first spark of invention to the final custom details on a car that is built,  creativity is how we solve problems, inspire change, and move forward. 

Capitalism, at its best, rewards innovation, risk, and hard work. There’s artistry in finding new and better approaches to age-old problems. But too often, government resists that spirit. Bureaucracy clings to outdated systems, protecting those who benefit from resistance to change and punishes those who suffer because change is stifled.

Local government should be different. It should be a place where new ideas are welcomed—where creativity is not just tolerated, but encouraged. It should serve the people, not the institution. That’s the vision behind this campaign: to restore integrity, efficiency, and imagination to public service.

This section, The Soundtrack of Service, is a collection of reflections—short essays on music that has shaped my thinking, my values, and my approach to leadership. These songs aren’t just background noise. They’re expressions of truth, resilience, and hope.  Each one carries a message that resonates with the work we’re trying to do in Taylor.

From the spiritual awakening of Tommy, to the basement-born brilliance of Boston, to the symphonic unity of Reflections of Earth, these pieces remind us that creativity is not just personal—it’s political. It’s how we build, how we reform, and how we connect.

Let the music play. Let the ideas flow. And let’s build a city that listens. 

🎶 Tommy and the Note Within Us All

A reflection on music, meaning, and public service

Pete Townshend’s Tommy isn’t just a rock opera—it’s a spiritual reckoning. A boy rendered “deaf, dumb, and blind” by trauma becomes a messianic figure, not through power, but through awakening. 

Townshend believed that life’s energy could be distilled into a single, universal harmonic—a note so pure, so resonant, it could unify consciousness. He wrote:

"We all know success, when all find our own dreams.  And our love is enough to knock down any walls.  And the future's been seen as men try to realize the simple secret of the note (love) in us all."

That note—call it love, truth, or unity—is the thread running through Tommy, Lifehouse, and every moment Townshend tried to elevate rock into revelation.

In my own journey—from academia, law and property management, to community leadership—I’ve felt the pull of that same note. Not in guitars or amplifiers, but in the quiet moments of service: helping a tenant feel safe, protecting others through insurance, legal counseling for those in difficulty, and standing up for integrity when it’s least convenient.

That’s the heart of Tommy. And it’s the heart of reform. Not just policies and procedures, but a call to awaken—to listen, to connect, to lead with compassion.

As I run for Taylor City Council, I carry that note with me. It’s in every flyer I design, every map I annotate, every conversation I have with neighbors who feel unheard. Because real change doesn’t come from volume—it comes from resonance.

🎧 Listen to Pure and Easy 

🎸 Creatives of the World Unite: A Campaign in Harmony

Some people say one person can’t make a difference. I disagree. In the 1970s, an MIT engineer named Tom Scholz built a studio in his basement and layered every guitar, organ, and bass track himself. He invited a singer and drummer to help shape a virtual band called Boston. The result wasn’t just music—it was a epiphany.  Scholz once said, “I want to be known for the person I am, not what people think I am.” That’s the essence of artistry: where creativity sparks innovation, and one voice becomes a chorus.

There’s a song that captures this feeling better than any speech could. It’s called “Hitch a Ride.” The verse says:

"Gonna hitch a ride 

Head for the other side 

Leave it all behind 

Never change my mind" 

This is more than a song—it’s a blueprint for breaking free. Tom Scholz built it from the ground up, layering every note with purpose. It’s not just about escape—it’s about resolve. About choosing a new direction and never looking back. That’s what this campaign is about: leaving behind the dysfunction, the excuses, the inertia—and hitching a ride toward something better.  I hope you will have the courage to leave the past behind to join me for change.

🎸🎧 Take a moment to listen

🌍 Reflections of Earth: Transcendence in Sound and Spirit

The first time I heard Reflections of Earth was during the closing ceremony at Disney’s Epcot World Showcase. As nighttime fell, fireworks lit the sky and images of our planet danced across the water.  I was overcome.  Here I stood—a small man with my little family—witnessing the majesty of God’s creation, expressed through the artistry of others. I looked at my ten-year-old son and wondered how it must have appeared through his eyes, and what would become of him. 

As parents, we carry a responsibility to not only provide but instill good values in our children, for they represent the best of our hopes and dreams.  We should create a community that allows all youngsters not only to thrive but prepare, to meet their highest potential,  and to grow in a safe and nurturing environment.

As I listened I was reminded that music, especially when performed with such orchestral grandeur, can awaken something universal in us. It speaks to our shared humanity and our capacity to aspire toward higher, nobler purposes.

Our Creator expects us to live upright and productive lives.  We must carry this purpose into our daily choices, our relationships, and our communities. Right here in Taylor, we have the opportunity to build a city that honors the dignity of every person, provides opportunity, and preserves the beauty of the world we’ve been entrusted with.

As you listen to Reflections of Earth, be mindful of the special place each of us holds in the human story. We are parents, stewards, dreamers, and builders. This world—our home—is worthy of each of our best works.

May our love and faith for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ inspire us to do so.  

🎧 Listen and Reflect  

For the working people out there.  High Eighties, Steve Winwood's Valerie.

Let's check on Steve Martin

🎵 Closing Reflection: Listening Forward

In 1965 Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited captured a landscape of decay, disillusionment, and transactional relationships.  It was a reckoning—an artist surveying the American condition and reporting back through music. But Dylan didn’t stop at critique. By creating message music, he elevated creatives to inform, inspire, and provide the cultural impetus to improve.

Sixty years later, we find ourselves at another crossroads. Generations since expanded government to attempt to cure conditions Dylan sang about.  Government failed.  Inequality and poverty are still pervasive, cynicism rampant, degeneracy and depravity increased, traditional values obliterated, and commercial relationships more unfair.  

So, as we chose the way forward, the central questions aren't how and if government should grow—but whether we should pause, reflect, and return to our core civic missions. We must ask: Are we building systems that serve the people, or are we preserving institutions that serve themselves?  And what can we do to improve the human condition?

This Soundtrack of Service is rooted in idealism, informed by consciousness, and committed to progress through application. Each piece of music here shapes how I see leadership—not as control, but as stewardship. Not as noise, but as resonance.

As we look ahead, let’s choose a path that honors freedom, reduces unnecessary burdens, and empowers individuals to live meaningful lives. Let’s make government work—not by expanding its reach, but by refining its purpose.

Music reminds us: creativity is not just personal—it’s political. And when we listen with intention, we lead with clarity.

🎼🎧 Let musicians carry the message 

As we reflect on the journey through sound and service, this piece invites us to pause, breathe, and imagine a community built on clarity, compassion, and creativity.