Notes from Steve

I said in last week’s article that my big, hairy, audacious goal was to avoid talking politics.  I’ve thought about this over the last week since I wrote it.  I’m running the streets of Clarion (in preparation for a 5K in a couple of weeks, and I’m going really slow … but I feel good, so no comments). As I’m running - I’m noticing signs and flags, and a couple of them have bad words on them.  I see this in other towns as well … and it doesn’t give me a great feeling about the neighborhood and/or if they are frequent in the community - that town as well.

I was in a meeting last Friday morning as to what we can do as a community to make it more inviting … make it more hospitable and get people to move here.  Comments like “get a Fareway/HyVee” or better recreation options, daycare, shops, parks … etc.  One thing I thought of - I didn’t say it - but was political signage; not the names of the candidates necessarily, but the ones that slam and are mean.  I don’t think this says, “Move here - we’re nice.”  

I know - 1st amendment rights and all - that’s cool, and I’ll never tell you not to say or post anything on your own time, but I can guarantee you that it would affect my choice to move to a town with negative signage.  (There’s a bar down by a lake in central Iowa where boats all around had very bad words on flags flying - I won’t go back).  And I also know that no one asked me to announce my plans about staying or going … I’m just saying … people prefer nice.