Going back to colonial times, this country has experienced several “Great Awakenings.” Originally spiritually inspired, these popular movements have been tied to major events in American history.

In the 18th century, the first Great Awakening helped provide the ideological basis for the American Revolution. In the mid-19th century, that Great Awakening helped bolster the abolitionist fervor that ultimately led to the Civil War.

In two coincidental instances, St. Helena has now been visited by our own great awakening: the school board recall and the Cheers! First Fridays. The former is sober and serious; the later is convivial and fun. Both are succeeding because of popular turnout.

Cheers! St. Helena is such a marvelous idea that some folks are asking why it didn’t occur in past years. The answer is simple. It took the leadership of the entrepreneurial Todd White acting against the backdrop of a devastating recession. This was not something the city government would do. Why? Because in our current bureaucratic world, local governments serve to erase negatives, not create positives. 

Todd White, of course, did not act alone. First Fridays needed the support of dozens of early donors and many volunteers to succeed. Above all, it was the right idea at the right time: Main Street, in the evening, as a gathering place. Merchants, wineries, city agencies, the police department have all joined in to make this new tradition a success. But what Todd provided was the spark of inspired leadership.

Going back to the 60s, leaders on all ends of the political spectrum have appealed for an “aroused citizenry” to support their goals. Leaders need followers. Todd White’s are the 3,000 people who showed up for the July 3 First Friday.

For the school board recall, the followers are the many hundreds who are signing the recall petitions.

In the recall movement, the leaders are the several parents who started this popular uprising. These leaders are putting their personal reputations at stake — what our founders called their “sacred honor” in the Declaration of Independence.

Several of the recall leaders sell services in our small town — legal advice, accounting, real estate — and their livelihoods may be affected if folks disagree with them on the recall. Leadership entails risks, and these St. Helenans are willing to face them.

By all reliable accounts, the recall is proceeding smoothly. As one key organizer told me, the popular response has been “unbelievably positive.” One exuberant supporter told me that when all the signatures are in, he expects that they will total a majority of the school board electorate. That prediction may be a little excessive.

Popularly elected school boards go way back, deep into the 19th-century. The National Association of School Boards call them “the ultimate expression of grassroots democracy.” And our recall is a crystal-clear image of that expression.

To gain popular participation, leaders must inspire confidence. That’s what Churchill did in World War II. His “blood, toil, tears and sweat” (a phrase actually coined by Teddy Roosevelt) were worth more than bullets and battleships.

In our school board controversy, the newly (and controversially) appointed superintendent, Robert Haley, has a singular chance to demonstrate leadership. What he should do is announce that he will serve only one year, and then will compete for a new term. If he’s as good as he and his supporters say he is, his accomplishments in the upcoming school year would seem to guarantee his place in office.

But in a re-opened superintendent selection process there may be an unavoidable risk for Haley, a monetary one. Many recall supporters are rightly appalled at the level of administrative salaries in our school system, with the superintendent earning more than twice the pay level of the teachers. In a perfect world, perhaps unattainable, it would, of course, be the teachers who get the big bucks. But, to our leaders go the spoils.

A longtime “City Father,” in telling me of his opposition to the current school board, reminded me of a true and tested leader. He related the story of the late and memorable Harry Bridges, longtime leader of the San Francisco shoremen’s union. Bridges had a hard and certain rule: his salary would be no higher than 120 percent of the pay level of his members. That’s accountable leadership.

“Aroused by First Fridays and awakened by the school board recall” could be a good tagline for this very interesting summer in St. Helena.

(Mark G. Epstein moved to St. Helena from the East Coast early this century after a career in international business.)

Print this story   |   Email this story | Browse today's articles in this category: |