Town hall meeting planned to allow for an open discussion

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

A community leader from Moapa is planning a town hall meeting to open a dialog about the challenges, struggles and restrictions of the past year in the Moapa Valley communities.

Blake Stratton is a newly appointed member of the Moapa Town Advisory Board. But he is quick to state that he is not representing the town board in organizing this meeting. Rather, as a long-time resident of Moapa Valley, Stratton just wants to bring people together for a civil discourse exploring the many impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local communities.

“I just think it is time to have an in-person conversation and get feedback from people about what we have been through,” Stratton said. “I think that it would be good to put a little old-school feel back in the town, like in the days when people used to actually talk to each other.”

Stratton acknowledges the non-stop dialog that takes place perpetually on social media and other online platforms. But he feels strongly that a lot of value is missing from those modes of communication. In some cases, social media has made real communication more difficult, he said.

“You know, a person would never walk into a room with a megaphone and start screaming at everybody what they believe,” Stratton said. “You’d never do that and actually think that people are going to listen, and go along with what you just screamed at them. Yet social media provides a platform for people to do that very thing, right in the comfort of their own homes. It just isn’t a very effective way of assessing and solving civic problems.”

Stratton said that he would like to have a civil and respectful conversation on the feelings of locals regarding the health restrictions and mandates over the past year. He hopes that the community might find catharsis in the experience.

“I don’t have a particular agenda on where this conversation should go or what it should accomplish,” Stratton said. “I am trying to keep the format completely open. But I’d like to know how people feel. How do folks feel about the restrictions we have been under? How do people feel about mask mandates and school disruptions and economic effects to businesses and not being able to participate in their religious institutions as they have before? I think it would be good to hear from all viewpoints on these things.”

Stratton emphasized that, in organizing this town hall meeting, he is not trying to be political or to divide people up into sides to pit one against the other.

“We are all neighbors here in a small town,” Stratton said. “It is okay to have opposing views and still be neighbors. The main goal is just allowing people to have a civil conversation and to feel like they can safely give input in their community and in their society.”

Stratton said that he has an open mind about any action items that might result from the meeting. But he also realizes that healthy community discourse is a breeding ground for action in a community.

“We will have to see where the conversation takes us,” Stratton said. “Maybe we will have some additional follow-up meetings to discuss certain points further. Maybe we make some assignments for ad-hoc committees to do some research on certain subjects to get local statistics and discover ways to better deal with things locally.”

“I’m not sure where it will lead,” Stratton concluded. “But I just feel like it is time that community members get together and talk about these things freely. I think it would be healthy to our community.”

Stratton recognizes the ongoing requirements for social distancing and other health requirements that are in place. So he has scheduled the large venue at the Old Logandale School where there will be plenty of space for attendees to maintain appropriate distance as needed.

The town hall meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 20 at 5 pm. All are invited.