HOOVER DAM OR BUST
We start off the New Year with a challenging hurdle – without elected representatives how do we have a say in the course of City politics and issues concerning our City. It’s a bit like being on a bus when someone else is doing the driving. We aren’t at the steering wheel and we aren’t in charge of mapping the directions and yet, we’d really like the driver to stop at a place we think would be enjoyed by all. Let’s say for discussion sake it’s Hoover Dam. How do we get the bus to go to Hoover Dam when we are not doing the driving?
As much as this may sound a bit far-fetched, let’s take this thought down the road a couple of miles. As residents of the City, we all have tickets on the bus - we all have a right to be on the bus. Our interests should count equally with any other resident. So how do we get the attention of the driver when he or she is obviously being told what to do by the City administration on where to go, where to stop, where to get lunch? How do we influence the direction of the bus to Hoover Dam?
From my perspective, we first need to get the attention of the people on the bus on what is in it for them in getting to Hoover Dam. In this case it would be incumbent on us to make a case as to why everyone would like to see Hoover Dam - for the great scenic beauty, to see over three million yard of poured cement, or the beauty of Lake Mead or, failing all that, a chance to gamble at nearby Las Vegas.
Of course, City interests are more about streets and neighborhoods and schools than dams. We need to choose our interests, our own Hoover Dam. We need to have a positive program in addressing the issues we feel are important and they need to resonate with the citizens. Once we make that case, we need to communicate our thinking via the press and social media. If we make a good enough case and we reach enough people, we can get that bus to Hoover Dam.
Steve Kimatian