Small town democracy

“Watching the baby get split is never a pretty process…”

One of the people who spoke near the end of Monday’s Town Council public hearing over marijuana regulations said he was loving being a part of the process. The part-time resident wished such debate and public participation could take place in Washington. He has a sweet point.
It’s not always pretty during debates in this small valley but unlike some other places, people generally don’t lose respect for their neighbors and they do try to listen to the other side. They may not always agree, but they’ll still say hi to each other in the morning or share a beer later in the week. That matters.
In a crowded meeting that could have been full of emotion and vitriol, participants voicing opinions on both sides of the marijuana issue stayed to calm, solid comments. There was some repetition and hyperbole that made parts of the meeting feel looooong, but overall, there was respect shown by the audience and speakers. It was Crested Butte; adults were at times loudly disagreeing but not coming in with blazing guns or overheated rhetoric. I certainly diverged from some of the comments and opinions but there was little animosity in the room. That is a blessing as we watch national political debates.

When the comments came to a close, Crested Butte’s seven Solomons split the baby and did a pretty good job of not killing the kid. After hours and hours of public argument on both sides of the issue, from people living all over the valley and the country, the council pulled away from allowing pot shops on Elk Avenue. They will probably get there eventually and the world wouldn’t have ended if they had allowed them downtown, but the council took a baby step this fall instead of a giant leap. The council members for the most part did their job of listening, evaluating and making a decision.
Style actually matters in situations like this. I’ve seen people come before various councils with a request and when asked legitimate questions they roll their eyes and whisper insults under their breath and get turned down, when if they’d been civil they would have gotten what they wanted. In this case, I think the council was ready to allow shops on Elk but the tone of those against was respectful and civil and the council felt swayed to the “slow down” argument. It probably didn’t hurt that there is an election on the horizon.

Monday’s meeting was more cathartic than angry. In the end, pot venues on Elk wouldn’t have shut the economy down or turned our kids into dumpster diving drug wretches. There is a bit too much hypocrisy and fear associated with the herb decision but in that place, at that time on Monday, style counted and taking a baby step versus a giant leap was at least a move forward. Monday’s hearing was a pretty good process. It wasn’t always pretty….but it was small town at its best.