A true hero and champion left us this week but the ideas he stood for and the veracity he idealized will withstand the test of time.
Muhammad Ali was best known as a prizefighter, a boxer with the utmost dedication and perseverance. He was able to take blows left and right, but rarely faltered. He stood his ground and served those blows right back. The question of whoever threw the first punch was usually irrelevant in the context of the sport; it was all about who was left standing.
That’s not always the case elsewhere, especially in politics. Especially in small town politics.
I understand most people are tired of the back and forth (or perhaps just forth depending on how you look at it) between candidates for Bowman City Commission President.
The amount of letters to the editor this week shows the tenacity of their supporters (last week I wrote a column that we didn’t receive as many letters in the past; so now I’m pleased). But the letters are not exactly what I expected.
Despite the roar from the opposition, Lyn James, as far as I know, has not publicly waged “war” against her opponent, Commissioner Chuck Whitney. Yet lies about her personal life have been spread across the community in recent weeks. What’s more this week is now people have publicly attacked her political record.
Okay, that’s to be expected, but there should be some truth surrounding it.
I’ve worked alongside James for the past three years, since I became editor. At first, admittedly, I was afraid of her. She had kind of a bristly demeanor towards the paper, since being severely and libelously scorned by a previous editor, who was not shy of making his agenda clear. So I understood why she would be reluctant to open up with me. It took some time before she fully understood that I was a professional journalist, with integrity and ethics, and that I knew what to do and what not to do when it came to reporting and offering editorials or columns.
Though she and I tussled on a few issues, especially over the cemetery association, surge funding and industrial park, she’s always been professional, helpful and equal to the task of letting the people know exactly what’s going on. She’s easy to get a hold of, too, which is particularly crucial when I’m on deadline.
We’ve had our disagreements, shared them openly with each other, but came out more knowledgeable on the other side. It’s obvious she knows what’s going on in the city.
To see her harshly criticized for the work she has done for the city is unfortunate, but it’s another political tactic in an already sullied election season. So, here’s an idea: How about stating more about how you’ve helped the city or sharing your plans for the city’s future instead of nothing but obsessing over the details of unpopular decisions that have been made?
I know the facts. You should, too, if you’ve been reading The Pioneer since I have diligently reported them.
Regardless of my personal opinion on the industrial park, I know why it’s being built and I understand that it’s not to profit James. That’s a ludicrous proposition since it was first the BCDC and county that began the process of building an industrial park, which James ultimately doesn’t have control over anyway. And, no, there is not one cent of taxpayer money involved with the project. Its funds come strictly from the city’s surge funding, which is from the state’s oil and natural gas production tax.
James knew she was going to take heat over the industrial park, especially coming into an election. But she voted for what she believed was best for Bowman and its future.
Anyway, she shouldn’t be the only one facing the court of public opinion — there are four county commissioners, two other city commissioners and the BCDC Board of Directors that also supported the plans for an industrial park. One of those at the county level is up for re-election. So is James but she’s getting the brunt of the heat. Perhaps they were all in cahoots to get James’s property a hookup to city sewer? Well, that was some perceptive planning and teamwork, I must admit.
One thing has been made clear in this election: some people simply detest James. Why? Maybe she doesn’t follow the same values that you do, maybe she served you a cold cup of coffee one day, maybe she’s prettier than you, or younger, maybe she and her husband have made a comfortable living for themselves through hard work, maybe the city issued you some kind of ordinance violation and she’s your point person. Whatever the case may be, she does have her flaws — we all do — but people just love to point hers out. It’s almost unsettling and borderline creepy, not to mention obsessive.
But, hey, wouldn’t you despise an industrious, forthright, dedicated public servant? I mean the things she does are clearly terrible, right? The way she celebrates Bowman’s strengths, tries to tackle its weaknesses; stands up for what’s right and not what’s just popular; takes lead of a board that obviously has a great divide; willing to help run a city where clearly some people just hate her; and takes time away from family and friends to travel the stretches of North Dakota just to stand up for that same community? That sounds awful. Doesn’t it?
I don’t care which candidate you vote for and I’m not going to publicly endorse any candidates; I just care that you get your facts straight. It would also appear that some in this community still have a lot to learn about the meaning of true integrity and human decency. Hopefully that happens some day soon. (But I’m not holding my breath.)
