WHY PEOPLE DON’T PARTICIPATE. AGAIN . . .

By Kathryn Thompson

OVER THE PAST YEAR, we’ve been making an effort to inform and address some of the concerns and issues facing our unique Town, and beautiful Valley. We would like to re-iterate that what information we’ve been able to access, has come directly from 1) the public record, (baring any changes or alternations of that record after the fact) 2) statements and information made in public forums, and 3) submittals to Letters to the Editors by citizens putting their name to an opinion, or by those who wish to remain anonymous, which is their right and prerogative (for reasons we will demonstrate why that might be a wise thing to do.) We have been happy to have the Huntsville Gazette clarify statistics on our Culinary Water, which verified that the debt load per household is around $98,000 per household rather than the $99.000 published. In a direct response given to the Town suggesting our information was incorrect, we stated that if we had published misinformation, that the source of that information needed to be corrected, which happened to be the Mayor. We praise and encourage the continuing effort by those people interested in open communications between Town Hall and the Citizens, using all there available resources. In fact, if these efforts continue, we see no need for the continuation of The Huntsville Glass.

In deciding how we want our community to look as well as operate, people need correct and accurate information to make good choices. To do that, it takes involvement. This takes time and effort, which is a rare commodity in our lives. We began our 1st publication stating why people don’t become informed or involved, and we wanted to help with that problem. As all those reasons have cropped up over the past year, we’d like to revisit some of them once again:

1) Trust in the people that have been elected, and the perception that things are running reasonably well enough that you don’t feel it’s necessary to show up at all the meetings they’re having at the Town Hall. And if something is critical, you will be informed by those people in charge.

2) Too busy, (and life is), and glad someone else has taken on a big responsibility. Good Luck to them.

3) Not feeling smart enough or powerful enough to affect anything. Your voice will not be heard – even ignored – so why even bother? It’s a waste.

4) Intimidated into silence and disinterest, both by something they’ve seen happen to other people, or by being a target themselves of misuse or abuse by those in power. It’s in your personal well-being and interest to keep your distance.

I have experienced all of these during my lifetime, at one time or another. As I’ve joined as an Editor of this publication, in an effort to inform, they’ve continued. I think that it’s well known that my husband who was born and raised here, has made an effort over the past few years to help out the Town – and try to be a contributing resident, many times at this own expense, and at other times, receiving compensation, only to be told his help, volunteered or otherwise, was not wanted or needed, and his reputation smeared in public, by public officials for whatever reason. He is NOT, by far, as we have learned over the past year, the only person to fall victim to irrational treatment, and it was one of the contributing factors to why I came on board in an effort to help inform citizens of events and issues concerning Huntsville and our Valley.

Also, as many people know, my family operates a small asphalt operation here in Town, and because of our location, we were asked this summer, by the Contractors chosen by the Town for several projects, to do some of the work, in between taking care of our own projects around the Valley and the State. It’s been a congested year for us. During the coarse of performing the requested work on one of the sections in Town, as part of our responsibility our crew gathered up all the barricades including two of the Towns, as well as many others, to clear the area for traffic. While waiting for the preparation of the next area to be worked on, our crew jumped over to a job at Chris’s, which needed to be done as quickly as possible. Some of the gathered barricades put into the back of a work truck were quickly set out on the highway while the job was completed. By the time we returned to the next area in Town to be completed, we’d been accused of theft of town property, and under investigation by a member of the Town Council.

The results of the investigation were brought to the next Town Meeting. The findings were that the barricades were not altered, that they were back being used again on Town projects, there was no intent to steal said barricades, and since the Town was using ours as well as others that did not belong to them on Town projects, there was no reason to follow up on prosecution. Which didn’t make several people happy. The gentleman who brought these charges into the public forum is also a Town official, and he wanted to go down on the record as disagreeing with these findings. Which he did.

After the meeting, I had the opportunity to question this gentleman as to why he would want to hurt my business, my employees, my husband, and our reputation, while trying to help the Town to get these projects done. He was honest in his answer, which I already knew. He said that it was because of my involvement in the publication of this paper, and because of “what I was saying in it”, and he wanted it stopped. I questioned this gentleman as to what had been printed that he found an issue with. I asked several times. He eventually replied that I knew (which I don’t, since there are so many, and most are taken from the public record). In conclusion, after showing this gentleman several things, I suggested that if the information was not correct, that he was free to bring that error to our attention, and we would be happy to publish it, exactly as he wanted, with or without his name. He might understand why people in this Town are inclined to stay anonymous. I’m still waiting to hear from him, or any others who may have a dispute with the records that they would like to directly address.

The accusations of theft, and the results of the proceedings of this meeting are now public record, even though I had to go to extreme lengths to have that done. Otherwise, it would have been slid under the table, which we have also illustrated has been done in the past, to the concern of many people researching the public records. There has also been concern expressed that public records have been taken to private residences, from the Town Hall where by law, they should remain at all times, regardless of who’s taking them out, and if being done, should be discontinued immediately.

The 1st Editions of this paper tracked the intentional attempt to publicly humiliate Councilmen, and there have been several other attempts to do the same to others before, since, and I’m quite sure, the future. Instead of the present practice of Sneak Attacks in this Town, any questions, issues, or problems should be directly addressed, and openly discussed, by all those involved. It was LDS First Presidency Member Hugh B. Brown who set me on the road to open inquiry many years ago. I still have his quote:

“ I admire men and women who have developed the questing spirit, who are unafraid of new ideas as stepping stones to progress. We should, of course, respect the opinions of others, but we should also be unafraid to dissent – if we are informed. Thoughts and expressions compete in the marketplace of thought, and in that competition truth emerges triumphant.
Only error fears freedom of expression.

Neither fear of consequence nor any kind of coercion should ever be used to secure uniformity of thought in the church. People should express their problems and opinions and be unafraid to think.” Hugh B. Brown

I appreciate the opportunity I’ve been given once again, to be reminded of some important admonitions made by an Honorable Man who knew what he was talking about. I wonder what he’d say now.

I’ve been involved in some tough decision making positions over the course of my life. Sometimes it IS easier just to make them, without all the wrangling. But citizen input is critical, and any effort to keep people informed should be applauded. No one should be punished, or made afraid in doing either.

Thank You, to all the people in this community, who have supported this effort, openly or quietly. I will continue to appreciate all the help, input, information and assistance we’ve been given in this effort to discuss the issues, and open up the process. This special place cannot afford to be run like a private club, the majority to operate at the expense of the minority, or the power invested by the people to be misused. The right to review, the right to questions, the right to hope and work for the best answers and solutions we can all work together to find, will decide the fate of Huntsville. As a Town, we are not helpless. Others who think we are, need to think again. We don’t all approach life in the same way, and it’s never easy to communicate with each other, and I would like to finish with a quote from David O. McKay, which is also fitting for the occasion:

“Words do not convey meanings; they call them forth. I speak out of the context of my experience and you listen out of the context of yours, and that is why communication is so difficult.”

As difficult as working together can be, a course for this side of the Valley, and Huntsville can be a laid down carefully, for the benefit of everyone who lives here, and for the future of those who come.