Yesterday I was with John for a trip to TJ Maxx. John needed t-shirts (and as it turned out he bought a belt too). We moved on to the check-out counter.

"Aren't you Mayor DeStefano?" asked one clerk. John said yes and began making small talk. The woman worked at TJ Maxx but also is a 911 dispatcher.

John asked her what she liked about being a dispatcher, what she didn't like. And that is when the conversation changed. John was not just asking her questions to be polite. He was interested in the workings of the 911 dispatch and this dispatcher.

It surprised me. Most people make small talk and stay on the surface. But John dug deeper. He learned more about a part of his city and about one of his city's citizens.

Maybe that's what sets John apart, his desire to learn more, to do more. And maybe that is why he expects more.