Posts by Mike Baer
OK…Not OK
OK—NOT OK Culture is “the way we are” or “the way we live together.” It’s based on values, operating principles, andthe hard to identify system of habits and customs. These govern our behavior. I’ve been trying to find afresh way to look at this and, thanks to Brene Brown, I’ve begun to observe “OK—NOT OK.”…
Read MoreI Quit!
We’ve already seen a huge number of employees quit their jobs in recent weeks and experts are predicting that this is just the beginning. Add to the 10 million jobs already open in the US and you can see the problem a mile away. Why are people quitting and why aren’t more people going to…
Read MorePeople First?
We hear this term a lot—people are first at Brand X. However, high rates of turnover, low productivity, abysmal engagement rates all argue to the contrary. People can say what they will but the numbers don’t lie. So, what does people first actually look like? It starts with true belief. It’s not words on a…
Read MoreStop Casting Stones!
Stop Throwing Stones In a famous encounter with self-righteousness, Jesus told the crowd, “Let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone.” Good advice for these polarized times. The story is that a woman was caught in the act of adultery and brought to Jesus for judgement. The crowd wanted her stoned…
Read MoreMy Thoughts on “Affordable Housing”
In a famous scene from It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey (James Stewart) gives the curmudgeon Potter a verbal drubbing about decent housing for the “people who live here and do most of the working, buying, living and dying” in Bedford Falls. You probably remember it well. Bailey captures my feelings on the subject of…
Read MoreSafety—Why and How I Back the Blue
Part of my platform is safety and that involves two vital groups of men and women. The Police Department and the Fire Department. I fully support them both. In this article, I’ll discuss the police and in another the fire department. Parts of our country have been led into delusional thinking about and disrespect for…
Read MoreRead My Lips
George H. W. Bush famously promised “Read my lips; no new taxes” and almost immediately after winning the Presidency in 1988 he had to eat those words. Since then politicians have all sought to avoid the topic. But since taxes are a hot topic in Hendersonville, I wanted to share my philosophy on the subject.…
Read MoreWhat’s With High Rent?
I hear and understand the concern and frustration about high rent. This is a national challenge but can only be addressed locally. Rent in Hendersonville is at historically high levels and makes living here difficult right now. What’s happening? There are several factors at play here according to executives at Zillow and Apartment List. Demand…
Read MoreA Matter of Managed Growth
Many Hendersonville residents are concerned, as am I, about growth in our city. I want growth and growth for a community is healthy. Growth brings jobs, new services, more opportunities for our citizens. But growth must be managed and to manage it there must a plan to which to align it. Kudos to our City…
Read MoreThank You Chamber of Commerce
I want to give a shout out to the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce and their leadership for hosting a virtual “Candidate Forum” this week. It was the beginning of a good dialogue among candidates and a chance for members and participants to ask questions of us. Great idea and very well executed. Some of…
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