Vestigia Nulla Retorsum - Moving Forward

The origins of Mayor Wright's "No Steps Backwards" Coalition.



I have heard the Mayor tell this story at least three times over the last couple of years. I have heard it as "re-elect City Council" and here he says "re-elect the Mayor." Vestigia Nulla Retorsum is the motto on the City of Hickory seal. You know the seal with the old log tavern. The Mayor after joking says that it means "No Steps Backwards."

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a firm resolve and stick to-it-tiveness, but sometimes in life we come to dead in roads, paths, and cliffs. It is absolutely amazing that the Mayor interprets this message of progress as a belief that in life that there is absolutely no time in which we should take a step back and reassess our mission. Situational Awareness in life is a key to survivability. Master Sun Tzu, one of the greatest philosophers in World history taught about living to fight another day in his epic "The Art of War."

It is the belief of those that were involved with the petition and now the referendum on the direct ward representation issue that the current modified at-large electoral system in Hickory is not working. We also see the need for term limits to keep energy and freshness on the City Council. It is nothing personal against the current Hickory City Council. If those members of the Council take it personally, then that is on them, not on us.

Over the last two weeks we have seen members of the movement to bring representation on City Council back to the Grass Roots level labeled with some very derogatory terms. Like they say, sticks and stones, but is this truly how our city leaders view many of the people that they are supposed to represent. If so that is very telling.

Being from Hickory does not mean that you have signed some kind of a suicide pact. There is no nobility in failure through pride and stubbornness. Every person in this community should have goals and aspirations that lead to a commitment to excellence. I have studied the mediocrity inherent to the status quo. The only thing constant in life is change. Success awaits those who are able to adapt to that change. That is an issue that we face in this community. A lack of open-minded vision and a top-down authoritarian push towards conformity.

Sometimes in life we must reassess where we are at, where we are headed, and look at the big picture of our mission. Sometimes we have no choice but to step back to take multiple steps forward. That doesn't mean that we aren't continually looking at ways to move forward. It means that we must adapt to succeed.