The atmosphere in the town meeting was tense. The local people were obviously separated into two camps with one occasionally popping an insult across the aisle only to have it returned with equal venom. Just before the mayor took his seat to start the meeting, a tall, lanky man entered and took a seat in the back of the room. Most of the people turned to see who else was joining the fray and on which side he sat. Then a mild buzz began as neighbors asked each other who he was. No one seemed to recognize the interloper.
Then the mayor took his seat and rapped the gavel to call the meeting to order. Before he could raise his microphone to speaking height, the bickering began.
"We've got to accept this proposal. We have to grow!"
From across the aisle immediately came, "We have to improve the town for the people who already live here rather than for outsiders who might not stay."
The mayor rapped the gavel several more times and called for order. The sheriff took a step towards the center of the room as if to act as the referee in an impending No-Holds-Barred-Boxing match. That only triggered more and louder responses from both sides of the aisle. Obviously, no one came to be listen but only to talk.
The volume increased in intensity until the sound of the gavel and the voice of the mayor were drowned out. The mayor and sheriff huddled together and it appeared that the meeting would be over before it began.
From the back of the room, a voice started singing and got louder. The song was "Let Us Gather By the River." Suddenly, there was a second voice singing and then a third. Before the song ended, the roar of voices had quieted and the room was quiet again. Just as quickly as he started, the man sat back down.
With the room finally under control, the mayor stood and looked at the man and said, "Thank you. You look a little familiar. Are you from around here?"
"I've been here for two years but don't come into town very often."
"Ah, you are the guy who bought the Franklin place up on the ridge." The man just nodded. "Then I formally welcome you. You are...?"
"Nobody really; people just call me Nick."
"Well thank you again, Nick."
The man sitting on the end of the council row was a wiry man with a large golden cross on his chest said, "That was a mighty fine rendition of that hymn. Are you by chance another man of the cloth?"
"Not hardly."
"But you are a God-fearing man." The man actually looked relieved that he didn't have new competition.
"No; I wouldn't exactly call myself that either."
"Why not?" The man shot back indignantly.
"Well mostly, I just can't see fearing the one who created us and gave us the intelligence and skills to survive, grow, and prosper. So, I am more of a God-thanking kind of man." Number of the townspeople lightly giggled at the new man's response.
"Then you are a sinner!" His voice was beginning to rise to his usual sermon-level pitch.
Nick's patient voice replied, "I have no doubt about that but I try my hardest to be good."
"Repent or you will be condemned to hell!"
"My ex-wife kind of already did that when the divorce was final. So far, it doesn't seem to have taken but there is time yet, I guess." The retort, earned him a full-fledged laugh.
The mayor, sensing that the preacher was winding up for a full hour-long sermon, changed the subject. "Tell us what is your interest here tonight, Nick."
"Well, I've been here two years getting settled in. I thought that if I was going to become part of this community, I ought to participate. From what I have heard and read, it seems that this discussion would be good place to start."
"I see. And do you have any experience or background in this subject?" It was obvious that the mayor was trying to regain the focus without encouraging the antipathy in the room.
"Sort of. I have been involved in a couple of business expansions and I grew up in a smaller communities. So, yes; I have some experience in these matters."
"May I ask what your position on this is?"
"You can ask but you might not like my answer; a lot of people don't. The last five times I have been involved, my position lost." That audience had now settled down and was actually paying attention to the stranger.
"Well, that's not very optimistic; perhaps you can explain a little further."
"Ok, here goes. The simple truth is that a town needs jobs and new companies to be vibrant and grow. But to achieve that, the town has to be the kind of place people want to move to and work in. If they aren't welcome or comfortable, they will find a job elsewhere or commute from somewhere else. So, the truth is, both sides here are right; but they have to work together or a lot of money and effort will be spent with little to show for it. That is my strong belief but it doesn't fit with either side. In these other ventures, I lost."
Sensing a possible breakthrough, the mayor added, "Keep going."
"In my first expansion, the city put up a lot of stuff; land, tax abatements, and all of that. We moved a facility there that made one of our products. Making the product was noisy, the townspeople objected and made sure that the employees heard about it. The employees felt so uncomfortable, many of them left before they settled in the town. The local people wouldn't apply to work there. The plant lasted two years and shut down. The townspeople said good riddance but the town had spent a huge portion of their development money and had nothing to show for it. I told both sides up front that we needed to work with the townspeople rather than ignore them. I got fired from that job."
"I see. So, you are saying that the townspeople point of view is more important?"
"Not hardly. Both points of view are valid; very valid. But the all-or-nothing attitude has to disappear. People need to talk with each other rather than at each other or nothing positive will happen. This is what I see. This county has basically not grown in twenty-five years. I think the population is about thirty more people than in 1990. The median income here is about 12% lower than the growing counties but close to other towns this size. In short, you do nothing and nothing is going to change. But when I go into town, there aren't many stores or restaurants. I can buy a pizza but I can't buy any pasta dishes. I can buy a chicken fried steak but not a grilled fish. I drive around and think that a coat of paint would freshen up the town and make it friendlier. A few flowers planted around the courthouse and the square would make it more welcome. So, what I am saying is that if you want growth, you have to make it a place people want to come to."
"But we have some serious constraints on our budget." One of the councilmen whined.
"Everyone from individual people to businesses to governments of all size face serious budget constraints. A lot of things that can be done that don't cost a dime; they just require a commitment and an attitude to make this place better. If all you want is no-cost growth, authorize a number of whorehouses. You will get more tourist business than you can handle. I doubt that this is what you want but something just as bad is waiting in the wings if you let it."
The preacher began gagging while several of the other councilmen groaned. There was a murmur on both sides of the aisle but it wasn't rising to the previous level. His last point hit hard at their morality but also showed them the simple truth.
Nick looked around and saw that it was time for him to take his leave. He left through the door without making a stir and few people noticed his disappearance. He failed to notice that a woman also slipped out of one of the side doors. As he approached his truck, she quietly said, "That was quite an introduction to the locals you just made."
"It was unplanned, I assure you."
"Are you always that open and forthright?"
He smiled, "You must either the district attorney looking to nail me for something or one of my ex-wives friends who has tracked me down."
She laughed, "Neither. If you stay around long enough, you will discover that I am usually referred to as the local bad girl."
"Hmm. Bad girls usually don't show up at town meetings; so, I take that to means that you frequently step on toes and make people look bad."
"I prefer to think that I hold up a mirror in front of people and let them look at themselves as they really are."
"Oh, you must be a reporter or a writer or something."
"Let's go with the 'or something.' Are you up to having a cup of coffee or do you need to go home to vomit first?"
"Actually, if there was some place open, I would prefer coffee and something to eat. I kind of skipped lunch because I was driving back."
