Our most recent political drama has left many progressive residents outraged, frustrated and confused.
“Our democracy is being destroyed!” “How could this have happened?” “I can’t believe this!” Sound
familiar? It’s national politics on the local level.
Local conservatives have spoken out, saying our county council is out of touch with state policy and
politics. They’ve complained about unaffordable housing and low paying jobs that push their kids and
grand-kids out of this community in search of a better life. They’ve pointed out the growing pains of the county and needs for upgraded infrastructure. Sound familiar? Hmmm? Working class people
saying, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore!”
Don’t get me wrong. I most heartily disapprove of the tactics used by local conservatives, re: HB224.
Certainly, one could question the ethics and good faith of several of our elected officials based on their
handling of the situation. But let’s not focus solely on the tactics here. Unless we listen, validate and
take action on the legitimate issues of our fellow citizens, we’ll never fix what is broken! Democracy
works only when you have majority rule and minority influence.
By the way, local conservatives must work to construct answers, not to obstruct local progressives. And
vice versa. If there is room for everyone at the table, and all expect to be taken seriously, we can move
forward. If these conditions are not present, changing our form of government may create more
problems than it solves. It should be said that the problems alluded to above will not be fixed with
some silver bullet. These are weighty issues which can be solved if we spread the burden across many
shoulders. Let’s get together and make it happen!
Bo Kolb
Spanish Valley
