An election prediction: Lannen by a landslide
Carroll ISD Trustee Eric Lannen will be re-elected to Place 2 by a historically large margin of victory.
The race for Carroll ISD Place 2 has been anything but a race. Other than the single forum held by the Southlake Foundation, this has been the quietest race I can remember in the 5 years that I’ve been paying attention. Given that Lannen, who is the incumbent, occupies the only seat that drew an opponent, turnout will be low. But the silver lining for Lannen is that he will more than likely make history by winning with the highest percentage of the vote ever in history in Southlake.
The last few election cycles have seen the winners garnering ~65% - 70% of the vote. I’m saying right here and right now that Lannen blows this out the water with 80%-plus of the vote. Partly this is because his opponent is not very well-known and has not campaigned in any visible fashion. But mostly it’s because Lannen is a very well-liked, well-respected figure in Southlake, and he has done a great job as a school board trustee.
I consider him a close, trusted friend and, as I have said ad nauseam of late, there was no credible reason to oppose his seat. He is a tireless worker and selfless supporter to all Dragons and their families. Additionally, he’s a great guy with an amazing family.
As I wrote earlier, it was unwise to run against him. The thing people underestimated—or, maybe, didn’t appreciate—about Lannen is he’s not a polarizing figure. He is a very convicted man who has strong opinions, but he is willing to listen and hear viewpoints from all sides, even if and when he disagrees with those opinions. So, anyone running against him should have realized that he would be able to pull votes from moderates and conservatives, placing him in a position of strength when running against someone who could only count on votes from the right.
Go vote
Polls are open from 7 am - 7 pm Monday and Tuesday at Southlake Town Hall.
Most interesting thing I read over the weekend
Carolyn Bryant Donham, 88, the woman at center of Emmett Till killing, died. Donham’s false claims set off the lynching of Emmett Till, a black 14-year-old from Chicago who was lynched in Money, Missississippi, in 1955, by Donham’s husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother J.W. Milam, after she told them the youth whistled at her. Till was kidnapped, beaten and shot, before his body was thrown into the Tallahatchie River after being weighed down by a cotton-gin fan. The murder is widely viewed as the spark that ignited the civil rights movement.
One of my favorite quotes
“Don’t implement a strategy you don’t plan to pursue.”
—Clay Christensen, the late Harvard Business School professor and pioneer of Disruptive Innovation.
A quote that I live by and that was delivered by the mentor I never met. I use this logic to prevent myself from working on projects that do not provide a long-term benefit or significant ROI.
Question of the week
One of the most interesting things about being a public servant in a city the size of Southlake is everyone feels like they know you—which I appreciate—and will accost you at will and ask you questions out of the blue. Like the one below, which was asked of me in the Central Market parking lot.
“Do you think a [local elected official] has to be a Christian to run for office in Southlake?”
No, but—. That is, no I do not think that only Christians can run for office in Southlake. There is certainly nothing official preventing people of other faiths, or even those having no faith at all, from running for office. However, I do think getting elected could be a challenge for a non-Christian and darn near impossible for a person who eschews faith entirely.
For all of the talk about this being a heavily Christian community, an accurate description would be that Southlake is a faith-filled community, in addition to being a largely Christian and largely moderate-Conservative community. People here are united around a handful of well-known themes, with faith being chief among them.
So while I think getting elected to local office as a non-Christian would be a challenge, running for office and getting elected as a non-believer entirely would be near impossible, in my opinion.
What I’m reading
I’m only 25 pages in but "Misbehaving" is already shaping up to be one of my favorites books—ever! As a huge behavioral econ fan, I have an intellectual crush on Richard Thaler who uses the book to challenge traditional economic theories while delivering a fresh take on how people make decisions.
His writing style and generous use of humorous anecdotes makes it hard to put the book down. But the groundbreaking research—much of which helped reshape the field of economics—makes “Misbehaving” a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of psychology and economics.
What I recently read
"The Shallows," by Nicholas Carr | Grade: 93
Though the book was first printed in 2011, it remains very relevant today, during a time in which everyone spends hours a day on their phones. Carr presents a compelling argument that the internet and other digital technologies are changing the way we think and process information, and not necessarily for the better.
For example, he argues that the internet's constant distractions and overwhelming amounts of information are reshaping our brains and making it more difficult for us to focus and think deeply. (Numerous other, more recent, studies now corroborate this.) He provides historical context and scientific evidence to support his thesis, making a persuasive case that our brains are being rewired by the internet in ways that are not yet fully understood.
"The Price You Pay for College," by Ron Lieber | Grade: 95
This book was amazing at helping me to properly frame the discussion and, indeed, the decision, of what parents should pay for college and how best to do so. I highly recommend this book for any parent with kids soon to enter college, even if they are still a few years out.
His advice is practical, and his strategies for maximizing financial aid, minimizing student debt, and making informed decisions about college affordability will have you taking copious notes. The book also includes real-life stories and case studies that illustrate the challenges and opportunities of paying for college.
I read the book a little over a week ago, and I have already recommended to thousands of parents online and in person, including last night at a gala ball in Dallas.
"Building a Story Brand," by Donald Miller | Grade: 91
As a guy who gets paid to do brand strategy by startups and enterprise brands, I do not normally read many branding-related books. This one caught my eye on the bookshelf and did not disappoint. Miller provides a practical guide to creating a compelling brand narrative that can help businesses attract and retain customers.
He makes the case that businesses make the mistake of positioning themselves as the hero in their own story, when in fact, customers are the heroes and businesses should position themselves as the guide that can help them achieve their goals. I heartily agree with this logic, for I have seen numerous companies make the same mistake.
What’s more the book shares a clear framework for developing a brand narrative that is customer-focused and that highlights the benefits of the product or service being offered. Better still, he delivers actionable advice and shares a template for executing the strategy yourself.