Open Thread
I have a few more obligations to attend to so here's another "Open Thread". To kick start the dialogue I'll ask this question:
While I was out getting signatures for my petition I had a few people mention they were "afraid of change", that they were concerned if I was elected I would "change Lindley too much." I'm not sure I understand completely with what they meant by this. Do any of you?
While I was out getting signatures for my petition I had a few people mention they were "afraid of change", that they were concerned if I was elected I would "change Lindley too much." I'm not sure I understand completely with what they meant by this. Do any of you?
posted by sallyann | 5:03 PM
22 Comments:
Sally- Im not sure but could be your hard stance on code violators .Some would get the impression you wanted everyones place to look like downtown.So many are doing the best they can with limited incomes but it sounded like it will be by the book or off to court you go.Drastic change worries everyone who is a little set in there ways after living in town for many years.:) JUST A THOUGHT! Im sure the townspeople will let you know what things you have mentioned they disagree with.Thats the cool thing about the blog! P.S. was surprised not to see you at the demolition of the Gang Mills diner .A lil bit of history gone now.
You represent a change from the "good ole boys" politics. Now that's scary to the old timers who have lived with this kind of governing all their lives. Time to turn over a new leaf and get on with the town's business and needs in today's world of changes.
Good Luck in your campaign.
PS Would be nice to hear something from your Republican
opponent. Is he still running?
Yes marc a little bit of history gone as the gang mills diner came down. I have had a lot of cups of coffee there. I can remember the time when all kinds of people sat there and seemed to solve all the worlds problems over a cup of joe.But just as the change of the diner being gone change must come to everyone even Lindley as much as we try to resist it.I do not think Sally will be able to change Lindley a whole lot the major change to Lindley will come from the building some day of rt.15. So with a major change to the landscape of Lindley on the way maybe we will need a Town board and a town supervisor willing and able to change a little also. Sally will be a person willing to change but her roots run deep and i do not think she would let change happen that would hurt the people of LIndley.
Lindley residents are slow to change-probably "scares" them to have a woman running for office -someone with an open mind. Hopefully, she will have co-operation from other Board members when she weighs the pros and cons and determines what would be the best policy to adopt.
I remember going to Abbeys to get my fishing license. The town clerks office was in their home! My usuall nightly stop was at their store for milk. The kids went through a gallon a day! Cold meat for sandwiches were a must as well since during the summer that went fast, too! On Saturdays, Id stop for the sausage Herb would make (his own recipe) for Sunday breakfast! Gas was cheap for the car. We heated our home with a wood stove. The milk I bought was from Youngs dairy. If your car broke down you just waited for the next car. It would stop. Drugs werent a problem in schools and everyone came from two parent families. I went to Fran Tobey for my insurance and Moms kitchen was open all night! Change? I think its already happened and no matter who is involved in the town board or where they sit on it...change will happen no matter how we feel. Those were the good old days...wait..it was only about 30 years ago. See what I mean? People grow old. Business's close. Change is inevitable. Some things are just going to happen. The only thing that will never change is our right of opinion. Be it here on the blog or in the town hall meetings. Open your mouths and say how you feel. If you disagree with something, say so. We have been given the right to vote in this country for many things. Opinion can effect change to some degree. Stand firm in what you feel is right. Sometimes we can make it difficult for some things to change.
Sally, Its easy to say what you would change throughout the town. If some people dont like it, how about addressing the other side. Tell us what YOU wouldnt change. What things/ideas you would leave as is. The issues you feel are fine the way they are and have been for many years. This may help.
Town Board minuets. Did I miss these?
This looks like as good a spot as any to thank my sister, Sally Ann and her husband Larry for the wonderful hospitality they gave to my family on our visit to Lindley this last week. Sally, Lilia, Chester and I truly enjoyed being back in the country for those few days. Thank you so much Sis. BTW, I see our old neighbors and some new ones are concerned about "changes" in Lindley. I for one have seen changes all over the place, from the new (to me) town hall, the new homes that have popped up over the last 40 years, new shops, new roads. I could go on, and seeing as how I've snuck in and out of Lindley over the years, I've noticed changes that most would not. Lindley still has the same old problems and in need of a good governing team. Good leadership needs teamwork, and if I could vote in Lindley, you know I'd vote for Sally. OK, we've had our disagreements in the past, but we've always found a way to compromise, and that's what's needed in any family, or community. Final thought, change is good if properly managed. Good luck to all in the upcoming election.
You know what? I love this blog. Such excellent insight from all the commenters. And the outside world thinks we're nothing but a community of "hicks". I will come when called a "redneck" though.
I will take some time tonight and respond to the comments made about changing Lindley if I'm elected. I think folks will be surprised to discover just how much I am against "specific kinds of change" and especially my beliefs of "zoning laws".
I've been banished to the barn again because Lar coated the floors with polyurethene. I just can't stand the fumes because there's so much area that flashes off. Even the cats and dogs have to move out.
The town board meeting is tonight. I regret the error.
Doubt very much that Sally is about to create an upheaval in town, but if there is an issue she will do her darndest to dig out the facts. She does like to ask questions-maybe it is the reporter in her. She is very loyal to her hometown and its residents. If anything, she is overly protective of our unique rural environment and the people who reside here.
What voters in Lindley need to know is: I am fiercely independent and self-reliant. I want government to “stay out of my business”. I am adverse to “extreme change”. I am a “country gal” through and through. Put me in a suburban or city environment and the life force inside me begins to weaken. I prefer things that are old rather than things that are new. I am a staunch “traditionalist”. I prefer the “old ways” to the “new ways”. If I could turn the clock back 50 years, I would do so. I am one of the “good old boys”.
If I were asked if I favored “zoning laws” and could only give a “yes or no” answer, I would answer “NO”.
These are my core beliefs. On the surface I would be considered a “Conservative”. However, I bill myself as a Republican Moderate or a “Centrist that leans to the right of the political spectrum”. I have one foot in the past and one foot in the present. I abhor “extreme” political thinking and action and prefer the “center” on most issues.
As one commenter said, I am overly protective of Lindley and its citizens. This is true. As Town Supervisor, I would act at all times to keep Lindley rural. The only “change” I would support is the type of change that “blended with Lindley’s rural nature”. If a developer comes to Lindley with a plan to build a hundred homes on any road, I would oppose it. I would prefer that change occur slowly and methodically; one house, one business at a time. I am also wise enough to know that I may not have control over certain types of change/development that can occur in the future in Lindley.
The people who live in Lindley do so by choice. We are country people. I would be mindful to keep as much “country” in Lindley as is possible against the outside pressures that come in on all rural towns.
Any questions?
Sally-:) You made one hillbilly smile with your statement.Im as country as they get and want to stay that way!Speaking of staying country I love the sound of a coon hound baying thats as country as it gets but i have heard we lost an excellent dog control officer because of verbal abuse by a newcomer to town over a neighbors hounds barking when the owner leaves for work in the mornings.HOUNDS BAY! Thats what they are bred for.My dogs including one coon hound bark every night when i arrive from work.They are just saying hi !Besides hounds bark whenever you get near your truck just to let you know they are ready to go hunting.This is the country coon hunting is country!Our dog control officer will be missed as he did a excellent job.
Yes, David will be missed as DCO but he has to choose what is best for himself. He always made himself available and truly cared about the animals. It is going too far when a man doing his job is harassed and has someone come to his place of work. Good luck David, sorry you had to go.
Sally-you are not one of the good ole boys in the sense that I meant and I will leave it at that.
Isn't it strange that newcomers to town want all the amenities that they left behind them somewhere else . Do they think Lindley is Utopia and /or Shangri La when they move here.???
Regarding "outsiders": It is my observation there are two types of people who move to Lindley from the outside. The first type is the person who has moved to the country for a rural atmosphere and that's all. They don't want to associate with the locals, because quite frankly, they don't understand why we do the things we do. They don't understand our "clannishness" or our feelings of "ownership" of the town. They don't understand how deep our roots go having spent generation after generation living and dying in Lindley. My grandson Zachary is the ninth generation of Orrs to have lived in Lindley. My own bloodline goes back to the first school teacher, Joseph Miller, who came with Col. Eleazer Lindsley and the first settlers. In some respects, this type of outsider may think we're a bit backward for "staying in one place for so long". This type of outsider prefers to be left alone, and quite frankly, I prefer to leave them alone.
The second type of outsider is one who moves to Lindley and loves the countryside and its people. They want to join the community in every respect. They want to get to know us and they especially want to be a part of us. They join our churches, our community organizations and the local government. They want to give something back for having the good fortune of living in such a beautiful place rich with history and character. They quite enjoy our "quirky ways" and soon become a part of the community. However, much to their distress, they are always considered an "outsider" by the old guard, only being kind of accepted when their children put roots down in Lindley. In most cases, a person can "marry" a Lindleyite and acquire immediate acceptance. I welcome this type, but sometimes it's easier to get accepted in the Free Masons than getting accepted in Lindley.
I used to think this practice was perculiar to Lindley, but I've talked with others from the surrounding rural towns and they say it's the same way there.
Maybe if the CLAN in Lindley did not shun and think they are better than everyone else in town you would get more people to do things for the town like attend board meetings and help out the town. But if thought of as a out sider because they were not born here or do not have the right last name is discrimination no matter how you put it!
The last anonymous refers to a certain group of people who shun others. I can relate to his feelings. Ive seen and experienced it first hand. However, I did not back away due to their errogance. I felt that living in Lindley was my choice. My choice for choosing the country over the city life. Along with many other benefits this town has to offer. I realized quickly indeed it is a small group that has for years thrived on its "control" over others and that the intimidation they pass onto others has developed and only continued to grow because we backed away and allowed it. I finally decided and realized if I was going to continue to live in Lindley peacefully and without conscience, that I too, needed to stand and be a part of the community and defend the things that brought me here in the first place. Living in this small community and falling in love with its heritage and its other townspeople were a "gift" and that I was just as important as the others and that my opinions mattered as well. Once I stood my ground on a few situations I was amazed to see how quickly the "lions" could be tamed. If you live in Lindley and care about it and its future you are equal to the "lions" or certain group that seems to be a bit more vocal. Trust me, when these people are stood up to and realize your concern is for the town as well, they step back. They become much more quiet and tend to listen. Ultimatley realizing your idea may not be a bad one. People have let them intimidate and that is what they feed on. Dont feed their nasty appetite and stand up for what you want for the place you live! After all, dont we all want whats best for the town? We all love Lindley or we wouldnt be here.
Whoa- I find the people in Lindley very tolerant and friendly. People join our churches, senior citizen meetings, Heritage Days Committees, Fire Department-and other organizations- we are part of the Caton,LP,etc Little League,etc Some newcomers move in with a high and mighty attitude and idea that we are simpletons who don't know enough to come in out of the rain. That kind of attitude doesn't fly here. We have been here a long time and are resistant to those who try to change the way we live. We pride ourselves in being the salt of the earth people As Sally says-others come with the idea that this is their home and contribute to the welfare of the community. Attend one of the town functions and see if you can tell the oldie goldie families from the newer ones. Bet you can't .
Sometimes an "outsider" can make us appreciate Lindley more by looking at the town through their eyes. Being new to the area they experience Lindley with a "fresh eye and enthusiasm" for all that it is; a prize piece of country real estate. And when you're in their company they tend to point out our country charm that we have taken for granted. I have often had my perception of Lindley "renewed" by an outsider.
Sally- Its OFFICIAL saw your name in the leader this morning!And the public spot light is on :)Good luck!
Not much pressure there, right Marc? I'm up for it......
Sal- you sure have a knack for inspiring discussion - you go girl!!
The healthiest thing any community can do is have open discussion about the issues that concern them. If they truly listen to each other's concerns (they don't have to agree with them), it allows them to see, through their neighbor's eyes, where the sticking points are and makes it easier to find solutions that work for everyone.
Change is inevitable- it occurs constantly. We can't stop it, but we can keep our eyes open to what is going on around us and how it may impact us, and initiate changes that will minimize the negative impact of the outside world. Some of those changes may seem dramatic, but sometimes it takes dramatic change to save those things most valuable to us. Positive changes that allows us to improve the community while preserving all of its unique, precious qualities are the best kind.
Sal loves this great community- quirks and all- and I have no doubt, would defend it, gun in hand to the death, if need be. She has the wisdom to know that change is inevitable, and stays extremely well informed on what's going on in the world around us. I, for one, know she will do a great job!
My family is one of the "transplants", having been here now for 19 years. My children are growing up here, and for them, Lindley IS their hometown- they know no other. We chose to live here for all the right reasons and love the people, the community and all the quirks.
I don't need to have been born here, to love this place and want to do whatever I can to help it retain those special qualities that drew us here in the first place. In some cases I think we appreciate those qualities more than the homegrown folks because we know what living in the city is like and have something to compare with- we don't take those qualities for granted.
Sal has our full support, best wishes and promise that we are here to help any way we can. She is making a major commitment to this town and I hope everyone else here will give her their support as well.
Post a Comment
<< Home