Letter to the editor: Community could be hurt by the effects of messages

Messages sent verbally and through actions are important, especially for the well-being of a community.

Jamestown is on the edge of a period of a great deal of potential success and growth, which depends heavily on the signals we send to businesses and families who might make Jamestown their home.

So what signals are we sending them? Our library board is attempting to improve and update the services they can provide through responsible and overdue expansion. They have asked for nothing more than to be allowed to let the people of Jamestown and Stutsman County vote on the issue. The powers that be have refused to allow the issue on the ballot, have neglected to fill a vacancy on the library board and one official has issued a weakly veiled threat of cutting funding if the board continues its efforts. What message does that send to families, especially those with school-age children, who may think of living here?

A local tourism group has found itself in conflict with the city and efforts to limit funding are floated. What message does this send to potential visitors to our community?

A strong local business attempts to expand to a location that holds great potential for overall future growth. It could act as a starter business for all kinds of other businesses seeking to move to Jamestown. The frustration of those involved grows because of a conflict over a simple water line and who has the authority to supply the water.

Ironically, badly needed work on the local sewer system, which local government officials have used as a reason for denying other projects, such as the library project, is also stalled because of the conflict with rural water.

What message does all this send to businesses that potentially could move to Jamestown, especially when the explosive growth in the state provides them with any number of other places to expand that don’t allow themselves to be bogged down in these kinds of conflicts?

Messages are very, very important. People and businesses act based on them. I hope the people of Jamestown and Stutsman county are aware of what messages we are currently sending, because the potential negative effects could hurt us as a community for decades to come.