THE HEART OF NORTHFIELD
By Adam Wale
Candidate for Northfield City Council At-Large
(These are my personal comments and are not an endorsement by any individuals or entities of me as a candidate. The opinions expressed in this op ed are my own.)
Now that we are through the Primaries, I thought I would provide some additional insight into me as a candidate, and what drives many of my political decisions in life, service to others, and compassionate leadership. Since most constituencies tend to elect representatives that reflect their values, principles, and beliefs, it is important for those seeking the public’s trust to bare out to the people who they are at their core, so that you can make the decision you feel is best for you and your government.
I hope to share with you an authentic description of some of my foundational political philosophies, and why I believe Northfield at-large shares these beliefs too. Our national and state level politics in this country over the past decade has slipped into incivility, self-serving corruption, moral failure, divisive tactics, erosion of our laws and institutions, attacks on individual rights, anti-intellectualism, racial and cultural purity tests, and on the worst occasions federally sanctioned violence against American citizens and lawful residents.
I am officially an Independent. I have no party backing me and no political machine helping me in any way. Everything you read, see, or hear in my campaign is me personally and the Northfield voters. I have voted for both parties in my life, and if a compassionate Republican came around again that paired conservative constitutionalism with compassion for the people they served, I might vote for them. However; this shift in our political discord has eroded our collective trust in government. Despite these attacks and changes in the overall political dynamics, the Democratic party has maintained their commitment to serving the people with empathy, pursuing ways to make our economy work for all, respecting our rights, and ejecting criminals and corruption from their ranks without hesitation. I am morally and ethically aligned with the current Democratic Party, as an Independent. I am a classical liberal through and through and believe the liberalism that gave birth to the United States, to Northfield, and progressive reforms which have continued to perfect our Union, is the best form of government that produces the best civil society.
It will take those who possess courage, wisdom, temperance, justice, authenticity, and placing the needs of others above their own to resuscitate our politics back to its proper form, function, norms, and behaviors at all levels of government; even local. Democracy is not a spectator sport, and the proper function of our republic requires active participation from citizens who are grounded in ethical behavior, reasoned judgement, responsive to the will of the people, and who honor the social contract; the exchange of absolute individual freedom for the general safety, security, justice, and welfare of our common society.
America is a creedal nation; not a nation with a sole race, religion, official language, or ancestry. America is connected as the United States by a shared vision of individual freedoms, liberties, and civil and human rights structurally formed as a constitutional federal republic. That national identity of freedom and liberty is enshrined in our core documents like the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution & Bill of Rights, the Constitution of the State of Minnesota, and the Northfield City Charter.
In our country, we all have the inalienable right to live the life we want to live, free from oppression, free to love whomever and however we want to love, worship the way we want to practice our faith, or decide to follow no religion at all. Northfield embodies those ideals with our mutual respect for all people, no matter who they are, what their heritage is, how old they are, their gender, how they dress, how they love, or how they express their opinions and beliefs. Northfield embodies the values and principles of America through our deliberation and the active civic participation of our residents.
Northfield has upheld these values and principles on multiple occasions since our city’s founding. Northfield was founded by men and women who opposed slavery, promoted the rights of women, welcomed immigrants who helped build this town, and kept education and intellectual and artistic expression at the core of everything we do. Since Northfield’s founding, this town has been on the right side of history. Our historical residents have loudly and actively opposed slavery, granted women equality, marched within the Civil Rights Movement, supported LGBTQIA+ rights, and welcomed people from all corners and colors of this earth. These beliefs, values, and actions are a main reason thousands of students from countless states and countries come to Northfield to learn and live, because it is an environment where they will grow and flourish.
My formal service to the City of Northfield thus far spanned one year on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (2021) and three years on the Human Rights Commission, where I served as Vice Chair and then Chair (2022 through 2024). In that time, I was exposed to the expansive network of citizens, students, groups, non-profits, and government entities working for the sole purpose of helping our community and city so that we all may live with dignity, respect, openness, pride, and safety.
I will admit that there were times when my imposter syndrome kicked in. What did I have to offer people facing the defining social issues of this generation, or struggling to find a living wage, enough food, or secure housing? At some point I realized I could not equal or obtain the level of expertise of all groups involved in social issues in Northfield, but I could be what I was good at and perform the duties of the role I was appointed to. If I was anything, I was a man tasked with the constitutional adherence I mentioned earlier, of procedural flow, of adherence to our bylaws and the City Charter, and to connect people to the city government regarding social issues, and at the end of the day be a soldier and fighter for those who needed an ally. For a few years in Northfield’s history, I was in a role serving the people, many of whom needed advocacy, support, and community. I will be forever grateful for those three years; it was awe inspiring and humbling.
The active participation of the people of Northfield in causes and organizations bigger than themselves is a great example of compassionate leadership, which is empathy plus action. Most people who provide volunteer labor to help a worthy cause often have nothing to gain themselves, but hold in their hearts a high degree of care for their fellow human beings, care for their community, care for the planet, fight against injustice, etc. I call this the Heart of Northfield, and I share that internal purpose. We are either a nation and community that cares about each other, welcomes those who may not be like ourselves, and fights against the ills of the world, or we are no nation or community at all.
So why would I run for City Council? Simply put, I am not running to be something, I am running to do something. I believe I am one of the best people who can unite our community, repair trust in government, bridge divides between rival political factions, help draw capital investment for economic growth, and drill down into financial, project, and regulatory weeds for the benefit of the people of Northfield. I will do this by leading with my heart and analyzing with intellectual and legislative scrutiny. I will maintain adherence to our structural and legal framework as a city, connect with people to receive feedback, prevent government overreach, reducing debt, limiting taxes, drive key investments for growth, and hold the human experience as my guiding torch.
If this or any other information coming from me is resonating with you, I would love it if you joined me in helping Northfield thrive for current and future generations.
Adam