I was thinking a lot about this week’s column. Initially, with this edition of the newspaper coming out on Oct. 31, I thought about trying to write a spooky ghost story or examine why some of us love horror movies so much. Then I thought about writing something in regards to the recently arrested Florida man who mailed 12 packages to prominent politicians and activists. Instead, I have decided to focus on the importance of civics and voting with the general election being next Tuesday.
Since starting in January, I’ve been to more meetings than I probably ever have in my entire life. Saratoga Planning Commission, Saratoga Airport Board, Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board, Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District, Riverside Town Council and Encampment Town Council are all of the meetings I attend. When I still lived within the town limits, I didn’t attend any other meeting in Saratoga aside from the town council on occasion, much like many others in the community. That, honestly, hasn’t changed.
The timing of these meetings can be inconvenient. Many of them take place right around the time most families are eating dinner or early in the afternoon when most people are at work. This is one of the reason why I’m at these meetings; not everyone has the time to attend them. Still, the only time most people show up to a meeting is when a crisis hits.
The first “crisis” meeting I covered at the newspaper was the workshop between the Saratoga Town Council and the Saratoga Planning Commission in regards to chapter 18.57 of the town code, otherwise known as the mobile home ordinance. In the months following the workshop, I covered the work that the planning commission was putting into 18.57.
Each meeting had the regulars: the commission, myself, another reporter and a couple of people concerned with what the planning commission would finally decide. At times, even people who put variance requests weren’t even in attendance. Of all the meetings I’ve covered, however, planning commission had to be the one that consistently had a surprising number of attendants.
The meeting of the UPRSWDD is, quite often, very poorly attended and, more often than not, the board outnumbers the audience. Yet, despite issues raised in town council meetings about the approach the transfer station is currently taking in regards to plastic, I’ve not noticed many show up with those concerns. Granted, the first Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. is probably not the most convenient time, but when is?
This goes beyond meetings, though. On Monday, Oct. 22 the Valley Service Organization hosted the first of two general election forums for contested county seats and Senate District 11. Yes, the Saratoga Sun livestreamed it and a handful of people tuned in for that, but in the Great Room of the Platte Valley Community Center the candidates and their families seemed to outnumber the residents.
There was even less of a turnout for the second general election forum on Oct. 24 when the mayoral candidates, our current and former mayor, and two of three remaining council candidates showed up to the forum. The Saratoga Sun livestreamed that one as well, though with some technical difficulties. In fact, the best turnout that I saw in regards to forums was one held in Encampment for their local candidates on Oct. 23.
People absolutely need to be more involved in their local government and politics. Learn the local town codes, read the Wyoming State Statutes, show up to the meetings that don’t seem important and, when forums are held, show up to those and ask the candidates the tough questions. Ask the tough questions on non-election years as well. The thing is, if the government doesn’t have people involved, and this goes from federal down to local, then it won’t actually work for the people. Government only works, truly works, when people are involved.
So, this is my plea to you to go out and vote. If you are turning 18 on or before Nov. 6, get registered and vote. If you haven’t voted in quite a while, head out to the polls and make your voice heard through the ballot. When the election is over, even if the person you were pulling for didn’t win, stay involved. Go to meetings, read the newspapers and educate yourself on the issues.
Finally, if you go to one of these meetings and you see me there, feel free to come up and talk to me. I’m a huge nerd when it comes to government, politics and civics and I enjoy having a lively discussion.
Just ask Byron Barkhurst.
Reader Comments(0)