A new day for Dunsmuir

After several years of a mostly appointed City Council, the citizens of Dunsmuir have chosen to return to a more democratic approach to city government. After months of unpopular decisions and recommendations by the Council a group of citizens who call themselves Citizens For a Better Dunsmuir banded together to recall the current Mayor and Vice-Mayor in an attempt to create a Council chosen completely by popular vote.

Although such a move is drastic, and can often divide a community, it was considered the only option available.  As the other three positions on the Council were scheduled to come up for election in November, the only way a completely democratically chosen Council could be achieved would be to go forward with the recall action.  

After the Council voted to go forward with its decision to place a heavy, long lasting, amount of debt on the city’s citizens despite a strong outcry from those who would be affected by the unpopular decision, the phrase “Someone needs to do something to stop this!” was heard around town more and more frequently. Still, no one stepped up to take a lead in doing the only thing that would put a halt to the Council’s disputed spending spree.

It was at this time that the Mayor made a request from the City to grant him a variance allowing him to grow medical marijuana on a lot in the City’s downtown historical district. The inadvisability of such an enterprise at this particular location was voiced repeatedly by a multitude of citizens at Council meetings. Although the medical marijuana nursery was ultimately turned down by the Planning Commission, the battle to defend the voters’ rights galvanized the citizens into action and the Citizen’s For a Better Dunsmuir was born.

The first meeting of the CFBD (Citizen’s For a Better Dunsmuir) committee proved to be positive rather than negative. Before the meeting ended, those who attended came to realize that a very positive thing could be the result of the months of unrest the city had been experiencing.  Where apathy had been the norm, a lesson in the truest meaning of the word Democracy could be experienced.

As meetings continued to be held, the numbers of the committee grew and its sense of power increased. Whereas individual citizens could do little to help heal the country’s and the state’s current woes, by their vote and support they could make a real difference in their own community. Political party affiliations did not come into play. All that counted for membership into the committee was the desire to do whatever it took to make Dunsmuir a better place to live for all  of its citizens, not for just a privileged few.

If the action to recall the Mayor and Vice-Mayor succeeds, all five positions on the City Council will be placed on the November ballot. The committee hopes to see ten or more names listed on the ballot! It is hoped that apathy will be replaced by action, and that true democracy will prevail.

The question may be asked, what will become of CFBD? Will it fade away after the recall and November election? This question came up at a recent meeting of the committee where it was unanimously agreed that there is still work to be done – more worthwhile projects to pursue. The committee will continue.  

There are no restrictions for membership in CFBD – whoever is interested in working for a better Dunsmuir is welcome. Hopefully, it will be possible to redirect the committee’s focus toward such concerns as helping to keep the library open, as well as continued efforts to find ways to help our very special town to prosper.
Hopefully, like the Phoenix rising from the embers of failure, the heart of

Dunsmuir will come to beat ever stronger. The past is gone forever. All we have is the present and the future.  It is up to all of us to rise to the task of protecting the Dunsmuir of tomorrow from today’s follies.
 

• Maralee (Marty) Wofford of Dunsmuir writes as Maralee Lowder, author of romance and metaphysical fiction.