I recently attended a meeting with Salt Lake County Commissioner Brent Overson and a group of concerned citizens from the Taylorsville-Bennion area. We entered as skeptics and left as converts, believing that some of our elected government officials aren't Genghis Khan reincarnate, but are caring and genuine people who have a difficult job and enjoy very little appreciation from the community at large.
One of the commissioner's remarks was very telling of what our society has become. He said, "Obviously, if we were doing something right, you wouldn't be here."I must admit that because this was an emotional issue, many there, including myself, wanted to know whose fault it was that we were not included in a decisionmaking process that directly affected us. We did not separate our feelings of what needed to be done to resolve the issue from who was to blame. I'm afraid that our society often places blaming on a higher plane than fixing.
To the commissioner's credit, he listened to us voice our concerns and tried to determine a fair and equitable solution for all those involved.
I have fallen into the trap of lumping all politicians into one group and labeling them as uncaring and self-interested oafs. Commissioner Overson and his staff restored my faith in the fact that many politicians do care about their constituents' needs and concerns.
Because they don't hear it enough, we would like to say thanks to Commissioner Overson, Julie Peck, Glen Lu, and the many others who contributed to the success of the meeting.
Mark M. Wells
Taylorsville