By VERNON ROBISON
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness… It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.
-Charles Dickens
The story of the City of Mesquite over the past couple of years has become something of a tale of two cities.
On the one hand, there is the happy tale of a beautiful city with a bright future. This community, with world class amenities and neighborly people, has become a sought-after place to live. Fame of this little town with a big heart has spread, earning it recent rankings as the fastest growing city in the state of Nevada.
What’s more, the City seems to be on the verge of a new economic boom. A decade of diligent efforts to develop a stronger workforce are just beginning to pay off. Workforce housing projects are, even now, being constructed. More such projects are lining up to get started. Remarkable education and workforce training programs are also in the works for Mesquite. And marching in step with all of this are businesses, industry and jobs poised to pour into the City.
On this side of the narrative, the future is bright for Mesquite. A ‘spring of hope’ for the community is within reach. And there is really nothing standing in the way of the City enjoying a new golden epoch of prosperity.
Nothing, that is, except the City itself!
Unfortunately, there is a second tale of Mesquite; unfolding, concurrent with the first. This version tells of community leaders, local business-owners and residents looking backward instead of forward. Rather than focusing on the bright future ahead, they are bitterly fighting disputes and disagreements of the past. They have fallen to back-biting and bickering over battles that are long over and done.
Every city council meeting has become a battleground where the last mayoral election is fought afresh. That election was clearly decided more than six months ago, yet the pointless battle rages on. The City seems to be ablaze with the ever-escalating conflict. Those who were once neighbors, friends and fellow parishioners at church are still at one other’s throats over it.
Why haven’t those feelings softened after the election? Why has focus not returned to more important things? These are fair questions. There have been no earnest attempts to bring the two sides together again since the election. There has been no meaningful discussion to re-establish common ground and move forward. There has been no softening, no acceptance, no reconciliation. Instead, the charged rhetoric and scorched earth techniques have escalated.
Folks aren’t talking to each other at all. Instead, they just volley insults back and forth at each other during comment periods at public meetings or in drive-by social media posts. None of this discourse aspires to build consensus or promote understanding. Instead, the objective is the obliteration and humiliation of the opponent. One side calls the other “dishonest,” “corrupt” and “power-hungry”. The angry response characterizes its opposition as “fools,” “idiots” and “evil.” This is no way to build bridges.
Neither side is innocent or justified. Both share in the blame.
This shameful melee has actually attracted the attention of broad-based, regional media outlets. Amazingly, last week it made the front page of the Las Vegas Review Journal! Such widespread publicity of bad behavior can only tarnish further the carefully polished Mesquite brand. Yet on and on and on it goes with no end in sight. It is a dark, dangerous and self-destructive path to tread for a community with so much hope and promise before it.
How will this stark dichotomy – this tale of two cities – end? Which of the two cities will Mesquite become? Is it the best, or is it the worst, of times? Will there be a spring of hope, or a self-inflicted winter of despair?
Will the bitterness of the darker narrative end up blowing a holethrough all the careful preparations made for the brighter one? Will a preoccupation with political mistakes and miscalculations of the past be allowed to befoul opportunities that are even now in the bud and about to bear fruit?
Or will proactive leadership prevail in Mesquite to bring people back together again? Can there be a return to constructive conversation, despite disagreements? Can a working relationship be re-established between feuding friends?
These questions can only be answered by the good people of Mesquite and their leaders. Frankly, it could go either way. But now is the time that this tale of two cities must be decided. And there may never have been a more crucial time for such a decision.
Those of us who look to Mesquite as the major economic engine in northeast Clark County, are watching; hoping to see some faint, growing light in the eastern skies soon – anything that might foretell a brighter future for all of our communities.
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9 thoughts on “FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK: A tale of two cities: which will it be?”
In this age driven by what seem to be intentionally divisive motivations and generally antagonistic perspectives, I sincerely applaud your neutral summation of something that really shouldn’t even be happening. I would hope that your summation can make into the next Council meeting agenda to be read aloud to all in attendance. If the audience has anything close to an open mind, they would be hard pressed to point fingers at those deemed to be on the “opposite side”. Thank you!
I absolutely love Mesquite. We have been here for 4 years. Moved from the Oregon area. It is more than time to put differences aside and come together for the good of our city. Maybe it is time to replace the existing council. If they are so far apart and unable to do the right thing for the great city that Mesquite is, then they need to move on. The City of Mesquite and her citizens come first. Nothing else.
It is too bad that our city and national governments cannot get along. I sincerely hope that they will in the future. Appreciate your comments and what is happening in the city.
Wow this is so sad that it continues too go on!! We are all adults!! Wake up and remember why your on the board you loved this city once also and if your all acting like this, well your not children! Show a example of how adults are supposed to act!!
Thank you for the enlightening information. We are new to Mesquite and we like it here. I hope the politicians that are creating the type of climate you talk about in your article wake up and join together for the good of Mesquite and the people of Mesquite!
I urge the Progress and the voters to avoid being sucked into the disinformation campaign launched by those wishing to upset the current council and Mayor.
While I agree that the city is split between those who want to move the city forward and those who won’t move past the last election — I would caution against a false equivalency. This is a competent and hard working city council — each one with an area of expertise — no one with a conflict of interest. They have to endure a parade of nasty critics who get to speak (or scream) without rebuttal.They are the same handful of people who create negativity– one of whom is angry about an incident 7 years ago . This is a deliberate smear of council. and it is understandable that citizens who aren’t paying attention put the blame on council members instead of the naysayers. I sense council’s frustration, particularly Mayor Litman’s, who is the target of most of the venom because he won– and the other guy lost.
Thank youfor a thoughtful and positive assessment of this subject. Unfortunately, it has been going on for a few recent years by a group of malcontents hoping to take the city in a much different and more radical direction. One of those consistently railing against anything the city did is Mike Young of Overton Power District. I hope his constant vitriol has not started to infect OPD or Overton. Our communities are too good for that.
My wife and I are recent transplants from CA, and the reason we left the so-called “golden state” (in part) is because of what seems to be going on now in Mesquite, albeit on a smaller level. In my humble opinion some of the folks behind the ongoing battle of words just don’t get it, to wit our city is a jewel in the NV desert, it is darn near one of the best kept secrets west of the Rockies and it just keeps getting better every day. And when I say “getting better” I mean measured and productive growth based on common sense with an eye to the future. Politics aside the reality is that good folks with financial resources are relocating to our city for all the right reasons, and as a byproduct local businesses are enjoying a healthy trade and the community as a whole is prospering… my hope is that the “string pullers” will continue to do the right thing for the city so we can all grow older and live happily ever after.