By Nancy Covert
“Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.”
That well-worn saying still holds true. Regrettably, there still are those who must learn and re-learn that lesson about civic responsibility.
The May 11 meeting of Steilacoom’s School Board was an excellent demonstration of that truth—taking part in public debate.
Fortunately, that process is still encouraged in our country.
Community support in favor of a passed-over school principal candidate, while praiseworthy, demonstrates the ever-present need to keep tabs over the actions of elected officials.
When few people bother to participate in governmental process—claiming that meetings are “too boring” or that they’re “too busy,”—that’s usually when those elected officials decide that no one really cares about what they do, and they merrily go on their way making questionable decisions.
Although Wednesday night’s session was like what one long-ago history educator termed a “Hollywood finish,” those who spoke up were heard.
It is strongly hoped that, in the future, instead of giving “lip service” to community involvement, that those officials take their promise of “transparency” seriously and renew efforts to rebuild the loss of trust from their constituents.
debbalee says
This made me realize how much I’ve come to attach “vigilance” to our post-9-11 environment. Be vigilant!– meaning watch out for strangers bearing backpacks at the airport. I heard it repeatedly (in that context) in the days after bin Laden was killed. So, when this morning’s Suburban Times e-mail arrived & could only see the 1st 3 lines of the story, that word alone made me think that’s what this was about. It was refreshing to see it used in a different context!