One day, as I was going through an old edition of the News-Leader, picking out news stories of yore for the “From Our Files” section, something struck me as surprising. In 1960, about 200 people turned out for the Arcadia School District's annual meeting. Ironically, one of my very first assignments as editor was to attend the annual meeting last October and report on it. Let me tell you, there were nowhere near 200 people in attendance. That begs the question: when did people stop being so actively involved in these types of public meetings? But, more importantly, why?
The same goes for city council meetings. Not very many members of the public turn out for those either. Regardless of the fact that my job description requires me to be in attendance, I have no doubt that, even if I were not in this position, I’d be there. I like to knowing what is happening in the community in which I reside. I don’t think my parents have once gone to a city council meeting and they’ve been living in Cornell about 30 years. Though I’d like to just chock that up to apathy, I’ve come to realize that it’s not just them.
For most, public meetings are the ideal time to express concerns and vent frustrations to the powers that be. However, they serve a much bigger purpose – awareness. While I understand people lead extremely busy lives, I think many have forgotten the importance of being involved in the politics of the communities in which they live. As sad as it is, more often than not, people only attend a meeting after something goes wrong. Not to play devil's advocate, by any means, but, perhaps, whatever went wrong could have been avoided had he or she been a regular attendee of public meetings. I don’t mean to be blunt, but those who don’t care enough to be involved should have nothing to complain about.
Don’t get me wrong, I am fully aware that much of the responsibility to keep the residents of Arcadia informed and in the know lands on my shoulders. However, there is no feasible way for me to hit on everything. Meetings of the school board and city council oftentimes last three hours (sometimes longer) and can consist of 20-plus agenda items. Plus, there may be certain items that only pertain to and affect a choice few individuals. There’s no way every little morsel of information discussed at these meetings will wind up in print, which makes public involvement that much more important.
During my three years working as reporter/editor, it astounds me how few people actually take advantage of those outlets. You can't just stand idly by and hope things go your way. Not only do you need to actively make sure you hold those who represent you accountable, but you also need to get involved and let your voice be heard. With that, I’d just like to remind everyone of three upcoming opportunities to do just that. The Arcadia City Council meets Aug. 12 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall; the Trempealeau County Board of Supervisors (courthouse in Whitehall) and the Arcadia School Board of Education (high school LMC) will hold their regular monthly meetings on Aug. 16 at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively. I hope to see some new faces in attendance.
Jennie Oemig,
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
No comments:
Post a Comment