A Sense of Community & Public Spiritedness

I was struck by a recent letter in the local print media concerning the endangered sense of community we face in Josephine County as a result of the loss of libraries, reduced public safety, and dysfunctional political leadership. I had never before put together all these things to view the Big Picture, and think about the implications of what that means about us, our sense of place, and about our collective character.

For better or worse, we are all in this boat together. Whether or not you use the libraries, have a fire or robbery on your property, or have to deal personally with the process or consequences of city and county government actions, you are not only affected by the direct loss of services but also by how we, the collective citizenry of this county, suffer the loss of character and values. How much further can we reduce our expectations – of our leaders, our institutions, or ourselves?

The way I see it, we are nearing rock bottom in all of the above. I attribute this in part to all of those local gadflies and perennial commissioner candidates who so loudly “refuse to pay a penny more in taxes to those no-good spendthrifts running our government.”  If this is the kind of thought leadership that influences the average voter at election time then we are in even more trouble than we realize. It’s not just people voting their pocketbooks, its people choosing to be satisfied with a lot less – less culture, less protection, less government, less leadership, and less concern for the entire social fabric of our community.

We are seen by the rest of the state as a county which won’t help itself in the same way that even other O&C counties have stepped up to the plate to plan for the budget devastation that lies ahead. We continue to plant our heads in the sand, to pray for federal deliverance, and to bicker among ourselves instead of rolling up our sleeves and pitching in for the sake of the collective “we.” I don’t blame state leaders for scorning us, frankly – and the last laugh will be on us. If the latest pair of public safety measures loses at the ballot in November, the State of Oregon can step in and take over our Constitutionally mandated functions but they will charge us for it by imposing their own tax on county residents.

I admire the dogged efforts of the Josephine Community Libraries Association in moving their plan forward to have a membership-sponsored library. The old Real Library Committee had largely burnt out and discouraged its leaders as they watched their own efforts sink time and again at the ballot box. The fresh new crop is doing a determined job, unhindered by the sting of past failures. But I do take issue with the entire premise that this county can hope to have libraries only through a private nonprofit structure, unsupported by local tax collections. It’s another good example of reduced expectations – we will never again have a full county library system and yet few even seem to care any more.

Likewise, the anti-public spirited mood has infected so many of us that few even raise an eyebrow any more at the constant bickering, nit-picking and pursuit of personal vendettas that goes on among Grants Pass city council members and County Commissioners.

I’m running for office myself right now. I’ve had to articulate my values and mission, which goes as follows: I believe in a good governance approach and in preserving the values of a shared society, with individual responsibility to contribute to the greater good. If only all the voters in House District 3 agreed with this – I might actually win the election.