Residents have responsibility

We are off and running on a new year with great enthusiasm because it’s 2021 and no longer 2020! Right? And the city government is working on issues of importance to the city and all of us who live in Thompson Falls. I’m not going to talk about those issues specifically because my articles regarding the council have caused concern.

So, I’m going to try and skirt the edges to keep myself out of trouble! But I am going to discuss an important element in making city government work for you, the citizens of Thompson Falls. As noted in a previous article, the council meets at 6 p.m. on the second Monday of each month.

Ward 1 is represented by Raul Ribiero and Larry Lack, Ward 2 is represented by Earlene Powell and Katherine Maudrone, and Ward 3 is represented by Shawni Vaught and me. I bet most everybody reading this article thinks these six people and the mayor are solely responsible for ensuring the city runs as it should and as you would like. And for sure, mayors and council members for decades have done a great job of just that. But there are items brought before the council by citizens or their council representatives that are not routine council business. In general, such items relate to changes or enhancements citizens would like the council to consider for the city. In those instances, the council representative may present the item to the other members, or a citizen representative for the issue may present it to the council for consideration. Now, here’s the deal! If citizens of Thompson Falls are thinking it’s solely up to council representatives to “push” the item through, the reality is that without support of constituents, a lone representative or two may not be successful in getting the item passed. The presence of a few interested citizens and one, maybe two, representatives supporting the item may not be enough to convince the rest of the council that there is sufficient community support or community need to pass the item. So, as we all learned in civics classes, government requires citizen involvement if citizens are wanting decisions to reflect what they feel is important.

To cut to the chase, if you, as citizens of Thompson Falls, want your council representatives to be successful in getting your items of interest passed, show up at council meetings and support them! And show up at later meetings and request follow-up information when appropriate. Your council representatives will most likely be going to bat for you, but they need your support to successfully get your item passed. And if you’re not presenting the agenda item but are attending the council meeting to show support or nonsupport, I encourage you to concisely tell the council why you support, or do not support, the issue. To maintain order in the meeting, please raise your hand and the mayor will call on you to speak.

As council members, it’s important for us to know what our constituents are thinking about an issue. You can express your views to your representatives via email, text, phone call, etc. Contact information is on the city website or call city hall at 827-3557 and they will provide the information. You might want to pay attention to the monthly agenda items which are also on the city website. Becoming aware of an issue after council discussions have occurred and decisions made is usually too late to create meaningful change. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ruth Cheney,

Thompson Falls