By Mark Curtis - Posted on August 27th, 2009

Mike Shimansky.jpg

(Danville, California)

The legendary House Speaker "Tip" O'Neill used to live by a political mantra: "All Politics is Local!" What he meant by that was that even as a national candidate, you had to bring home to local "bacon." In other words, the politics that is closest to people's hearts (and pocketbooks) is local. If you want to have a real impact on people's lives, run for your local city council or school board. If you run for Congress, you better promise to bring home highway funds or research dollars for the local university. Make your political success local, and people will keep sending you back.

I mention all of this tonight as I ask your prayers for a dear friend, Danville Town Councilman Mike Shimansky. He remains in a drug induced coma at a San Diego hospital, suffering from meningitis. Because of the severity of his condition, doctors has to amputate both of Mike's legs, below the knee.

For more up to date information visit the "Danville Weekly" at: Web Link

Mike Shimansky has served on the Danville Town Council over twenty years, including three stints as Mayor. More importantly, he has given decades of his life in volunteer service to his community as a coach in Danville Little League (where he coached Randy Winn, now of the San Francisco Giants); as an American Red Cross volunteer; and as a Board Member of the Mount Diablo-Silverado Boy Scout Council, where I am proud to serve with him as a fellow Board Member. Like Speaker O'Neill suggested, Shimansky's service to his community has been local, local, local. In other words, taking care of his constituents. He cares!

Shimansky, age 65, is a "go-getter!" In the photo above, he his firing the starting gun for the annual "Primo's Run for Education" that annually raises thousands and thousands of dollars for our San Ramon Valley School District. His work with the American Red Cross is legendary. He spent weeks helping in San Diego County a few years ago, when thousands of people lost their homes to wildfires. He has been on scene of more natural disasters than I can count. While he retired from Pacific Bell, his life of service has hardly slowed down.

I ask you to include Mike and his family in your thoughts and prayers. This man is a true public servant, who has helped his fellow man, time and time again over his lifetime. The world is a better place when people like Mike Shimansky "step up to the plate" and serve their communities.

God bless him!