WERE yOU THERE?
Last Monday evening a group of less than
30 of Seldovia’s residents gathered in the
council chambers of city hall to consider
and approve a plan for operation of Soldo
via's light plant which will affect every
home owner 'and evesy resident of‘.this city.
Those 30 approved a plan which will require *
a 35-year period „ of financing by members of
a co-onera!tivJ electric association.
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The plan 'will undoubtedly mean much to
.all of us in the-years ahead*.but it does
seem’"that* thebe' bught to have been more of
us there at that meeting to have a voice in
how Seldovia will.; be given power for the
next 35 years.
The decision they made will stand, but
already there are those who have voiced the
opinion that so important a decision should
not h$v j been left to the few. With that we
agree, but the fact that only the few were
therj is no reflection on RSa, as the crit
ics would intimate. Tli e meeting was given
all publicity possible (we tried, Mr. ^nder
60n), and the Alaskan representative of RSa
Spent much time in talking with members of
the community in.order to get.as representa
tive an opinion.as possible from Seldovians*
/( - '* ’ ‘ *
The oublic meeting was called in order
that anyone who might -hav;* been overlooked
in personal interviews would-have an oppor
tunity to Question and. to express an opin
ion. It is unfortunate that the power emer
gency occurred while so many of our men were
away on the fishing grounds, but:an emergen
cy* cannot be scheduled for winter months on
ly. ^nd if a representative from every home
and business summering, in Seldovia had been
On hand at the Monday meeting, there would
not. have been even standing room in the
council chambers.
Conspicuous by their absence were the
leaders of the city government and civic or
ganizations in Seldovia. Only one council
man, and that one not yet sjated, appeared
at tho mooting. Two
of tho city*s four
morcantilo ostablish
monts woro roprospnt
od. Tho prosidont of
th3 / Chdmbor t of Com- 1
morco did not appoar,
nor did any. roprospn- ,
tativo from Soldovia
hospital. Ono cap
nory was so *' Httlo
intorpstod , in Soldo
via1 s ’ ~pow or prolyl6m
that np^spokosman was
prosontr*. . Of tho 30
who woro.thoro, sev**
oral-woro-but rocpnt
iy eomo to Soldovia.
It is hard to und
erstand how anyono
can .hope to-live in
our city, to reap
benefits from the im
proved services' RRrt
can bring to us, and
still be so little
interjsted, that they
canriot devote a part
of ah evening to lis
tening to an-explana
tion of - how those
benefits will oper
ate.
If we count our
selves Seldovians,
then we must -take to
ourselves Seldovia*s
problems. We cannot
expect to reach for *
the benefits \vhich
will come to our grow
ing city, if we do
not help with the
down - to -earth hard
work that must come
before the harvest of y
good things.
*
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