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When thousands of people donate no more than $100 per person per election, we can build a campaign without money from special interests. _______________________ But it's about more than money. We need your energy and your enthusiasm, too. Sign up to volunteer on Jim Hansen's campaign for Congress.
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Preston people who make a difference
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Location: Blogs Jim's Blog |
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| Posted by: Jim Hansen |
8/8/2006 |
The people of Preston often feel left out of Idaho, but they have built a strong community and don't like to be told what to do by the powers that be. They appreciate people who make the effort to meet them in person and who stand up for what they believe in.
Not a lot of statewide candidates (especially those with lots of campaign money in the bank) travel all the way to Preston, the county seat of Franklin County and the north end of beautiful Cache Valley. This steadily growing town of about 5,000 people is only 8 miles from the Utah line and folks there tend to travel south to Logan, Ogden or Salt Lake City to work or shop rather than north to Pocatello. Several folks told me they only get two Idaho TV stations (including Idaho Public Television) and the rest are from Utah.
This town is fortunate to have a great locally owned radio station: KACH (1340AM) owned by Alan and Nelda White. Alan asked me to be his guest on Wednesday and we had a great conversation. On a number of different issues, Alan commented that folks in Franklin County don’t like to be told what to do by the powers that be. That is particularly true of the so-called “No Child Left Behind” mandates from the federal level that are driving people in the schools there to distraction.
That morning I met up with Brad Goodsell, a friend from my University of Idaho days who took the day off to introduce me to his family’s home town. We started off by meeting a group of old-timers at the coffee shop at the Chevron. These guys take their hunting and fishing – as well as their politics – seriously. They shared with me a local hot issue that arose when the county commission considered letting the power company put a dam on the Bear River. A majority of voters in May responded by defeating one of those commissioners in the primary and electing another opponent of the dam to the other open seat. This is another example of local folks not wanting to be told what to do from the powers that be – even if they run the power company itself.
Rod Pearce and Larry Dahle were two of the mainstays of the group, and by the time they finished razzing me about being a politician they admitted they admired my grit in running the campaign the way I am. They appreciated me going to lots of small communities and meeting people face to face. In the end, they said they’d support the campaign and tell their friends. It was a powerful reminder that no amount of slick TV ads can generate the genuine admiration of guys at the coffee shop.
I met lots of folks who run businesses on State Street as well. In the Bosen building (a beautiful old building on the corner of State and Oneida streets) is a gallery called LivvnArt that contains a surprisingly large collection of art by local artists. It is a gold mine of talent. JoLyn Holladay showed us around and pointed out some of her impressive watercolors as well. When the powers that be in Congress dismiss the value of art to small communities, they obviously have not paid attention to the heart of Preston.
Of course, I could not miss another great meal at a senior center that day and was hit by an intoxicating aroma of fresh cinnamon rolls as I opened the door. Inside, I met a group of teens baking and wrapping the rolls for the upcoming fair. Teens also served the lunch and I enjoyed hearing about how much they got out of this kind of summer work. Fern Larsen welcomed us to the center, and during the course of lunch I discovered that her son is Preston’s mayor. I was going to meet with Mayor Neal Larsen right after lunch, so Mrs. Larsen kindly filled me in on some stories. In the back of my mind, I realized that own mother is telling people she is meeting in Idaho about her son, too.
I had met Mayor Larsen six years ago when he was on the city council. He had shared his interest in doing something to curb the influence of campaign contributions on state elections. We picked up the conversation from there and I appreciated his perspective on how few city officials go on to serve in state and federal positions because they don’t have access to big money. It is also frustrating for them when Congress discounts the perspective and experience of local officials, yet gives tremendous credence to corporate lobbyists who have never had to run a city.
Of course, everyone knows that Preston is also the home of “Napoleon Dynamite.” There is still some glow from the popularity of the movie. Everyone in town knows that one popular movie does not translate into sustainable economic development. But they do appreciate that Napoleon was one guy who showed up, stuck up for what he believed in and never liked being told what to do by the powers that be.
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