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Editor’s note: At the end of his State of the City address March 19, Pleasanton Mayor Jack Balch read a personal essay describing his core values and encouraging others to share the same – in line with the mission of the “This I Believe” organization, inspired by the famed 1950s radio program hosted by journalist Edward R. Murrow. This is Balch’s essay:
This I believe.
I believe in the power of people, the power to create and build, the power to care for one another through service, and the power of human kindness, empathy, and compassion.
I’ve been blessed to see that power every day in Pleasanton.
There is also the power to divide when fear and anger take hold. But our better instincts are stronger, and forgiveness is powerful.
As a community leader, as a husband and father, and as a fellow citizen living in turbulent times, I am challenged by what I see around us. We are more divided than many of us ever expected, and too often we talk past one another instead of listening.
Yet the strength of our democracy has never depended upon uniform agreement. It has depended on participation and compromise to move us forward.
As America approaches her 250th birthday, I hope we are not simply marking time. Two hundred and fifty years ago, ordinary people made an extraordinary choice, and America’s promise was born. Now, it rests with us.
I hope we do more than simply celebrate our history. I hope we pause and reflect on who we are, what binds us, and what is required of each of us.
I believe that the words of our Declaration of Independence were not just written for a single moment in time. They are America’s enduring promise, a promise we continue to make to one another.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Those ideals have endured not because they were easy, but because generations of Americans were willing to stand up for them, believe in them, and sacrifice for them.
The Civil Rights Act carried our promise forward by outlawing discrimination based upon race, religion, color, sex, or national origin. It banned segregation and secured your right to participate in our democracy when and how you choose.
Our system reminds us that the power to govern flows directly from the people, not just through elections, but through engagement, service, and responsibility.
And I believe we are being reminded just how fragile liberty can be. It cannot be taken for granted. It is not self-sustaining. It depends on us, the people.
As the words inscribed on our Statue of Liberty remind us, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Liberty lives in us and calls upon us to be a nation that welcomes, aspires, and believes in possibility.
I see that spirit here at home.
It lives in businesses that inspire and innovate while supporting their teams and the community they’re in. It lives in nonprofits who serve those in need, day after day. It lives in volunteers, mentors, parents, coaches, teachers, donors, and neighbors who choose to show up and contribute.
It depends on participation. It depends on courage. It depends on you.
I believe America is stronger because you are part of it, because of your willingness to contribute to something larger than yourself and to bring your story to the great American melting pot. The American Experiment depends on that, on your pursuit of Happiness.
And I believe Pleasanton is stronger because you are part of our story, because this community understands that success and responsibility go hand in hand.
America’s promise is not only to each of us. It is from each of us to one another. And that promise depends on participation.
So I want to extend a simple invitation. I invite you to reflect on your own “This I Believe.”
If you feel moved to share it, come to your Pleasanton City Council meeting and read it into our public record so that our shared beliefs are not merely implied, but spoken aloud, and preserved.
As we approach America’s 250th birthday, I ask you to protect her promise, our promise, not just on the Fourth of July, but every day.
Advance kindness. Practice empathy. Cultivate gratitude. Show up, because participation is how promises endure. Serve. Listen. And yes, please vote.
This I believe.
I believe in the power of people.
And I sincerely look forward to hearing your “This I Believe” very soon.
