It seems you can’t jump on YouTube these days without being flooded with videos of angry parents at School Board meetings. I recently read an article in the Argus Obsersver dated October 13th that Superintendent Wilson stated in a phone interview that “The reason the board opted to go with written comment, he said, is because so many parents wanted to weigh in on the Covid-19 response plan.” Now today, I just read in a very similar article in the Weiser Signal American that Weiser School District Board Member Marg Chipman said in a phone interview “that the decision not to allow comment during the Oct. 13th meeting was based in large part due to a recent Weiser Chamber Luncheon where Superintendent Wade Wilson was confronted by an angry group intent on getting answers about the district’s mask mandate.” So, which was it? I sincerely hope it was the first and not the latter. I happened to be at the Chamber Luncheon where Superintendent Wilson was asked several questions by community members. One of those “angry” people was a concerned father wanting answers as to why his elementary aged child was lost on a bus route for 3 hours. If Mrs. Chipman felt that a few upset parents at a pizza place was too much to handle I encourage her to watch a little more YouTube. In the present day political and social climate, people are just wanting a chance to be heard. They want to know that their elected officials really do care about their concerns. Voters want to not only be heard but understood, valued and appreciated. Afterall, isn’t that why candidates ask for your vote in the first place? Emails and letters are fine but cold and impersonal. It’s much easier to relegate an issue or a concern to the bottom of the pile if it’s never discussed face to face. We expect better, no we demand better! So, when you go to the polls on November 2nd make sure your voice is heard. Pick a candidate that takes your values into consideration. One that will allow you to speak about your questions and concerns, not one who hides behind an email address and relegates you to the bottom of the pile
