OPEN FORUM: Thanks where thanks is due

By BRIAN BURRIS

MV Town Board Member

It is no secret to anyone that knows me that I am a very outspoken person. I tend to speak my mind about what I feel is best for our town and the lifestyle we live.

It would also not be shocking to anyone that our County Commissioner and I have not seen eye to eye and have not been what anyone would consider friends. I have often called her on the carpet very publicly. Not as a personal vendetta but often due to the differences in the needs of our community versus the needs of Clark County.

But this last few weeks has given me a whole new perspective about Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick. She saw that our community and, more importantly, our kids, were struggling this last year. She saw that the decision to close the fair again was going to be both financially and emotionally devastating to the livestock kids. That meant there was work to do.

So she rolled up her sleeves and got to work. Not only did she secure a place for the show, but she raised over $120,000 to put on an amazing community event. The Junior Livestock Show and 4-H Festival allowed the kids to show their animals and then to sell them.

But it did a whole lot more than that. This event allowed local vendors, that are usually priced out of the fair, to be able to show the community what they had to offer and still make a little money in the end. It also allowed the community to come together and heal a bit from a very tough year.

Commissioner Kirkpatrick pledged to make sure the CCJLA got to put on a livestock show even if that meant taking 100% of the cost out of her own pocket. She even called the fairgrounds her home for the entire livestock show.

Many did not realize the couple you passed at the gate of the rodeo arena that weekend was your Commissioner and her husband.

The pancake breakfast on Saturday morning was not only sponsored by the Commissioner, but chances are your pancakes were served by her as well. You can tell a lot about a leader based on their leadership style and if you ask me to be a servant leader shows the highest level of character.

I would personally like to thank Commissioner Kirkpatrick for all she has done and is doing for our community. Much of what she does she insists remain anonymous, so we often do not see the progress she is making on our behalf.

I would encourage all of us to take a step back and give her a chance. Many in the community express the old complaint that we have never had a commissioner that cares about this community before. I think we finally may have one.

I also would like to thank Amelia, William and the rest of the Commissioner’s team; along with all the county staff that worked so hard to make this festival possible.

In addition, thank you to the volunteers that worked so diligently to get the ball rolling. We certainly cannot leave out Dave Brown, who provided the entertainment or Corey Houston and his great group at the CCJLA for getting the kids back in the show ring. People like you are what make Moapa Valley such a special place.