From The Mayor's Desk

A collection of writings about small town democracy
by Roy Reehil, Mayor of the Village of Cleveland, New York.

Does Anybody Care?

May 16, 1995

It’s springtime 1995. It should be a time of planting and cleaning and joy, of welcoming summer. In reality it’s a continuation of our life struggles, of making ends meet, and trying to make life better for our families. Another year’s reprieve from the chill of winter will soon be replaced by muggy nights filled with black flies… and then mosquitoes.

If I sound a little bit down it’s because I’ve let “things” get to me a little bit lately. The bombing in Oklahoma and the subsequent rhetoric about the federal government being to blame, or that it was somehow justified to kill kids because of Waco. The war in Yugoslavia is escalating again. More missing children. The Simpson trial. Sometimes it seems like there’s just a frenzy to be miserable, to tear things down… to bring about anarchy. Where will it end? Even here, in Cleveland, it sometimes seems like people are on edge, just waiting for things to fall apart.

The dictionary explains anarchy as: The absence of government or control, resulting in lawlessness, disorder and confusion. Is that what we’re headed for?

There’s vandalism to our village parks and street signs. There are kids pitching bottles and trash into the pond or the lake, and when confronted they say “but I’m not the only one that does it!” They’re right, they’re not the only ones, but shouldn’t someone teach them that it’s wrong? And it’s not just the kids setting a bad example. The other day I watched a grown man race through a stop sign in front of my truck with a go-cart. And he wasn’t alone. He had a small child with him, neither one with a helmet on, racing as if the Cleveland streets were their own personal race track. Other adults openly burn garbage rather than pay a regular hauler. It seems that some people don’t even bother to burn garbage… they just deposit it in their yard as their own private dump. It’s this kind of disrespect for each other, our laws and our village that’s bothering me and many other villagers.

Then there’s the “Cleveland Citizens Review”. Could we just call it the “Anarchist's Quarterly”? The CCR would have you believe that the village government was created to do nothing but think up conspiracies to steal your money! Enough anarchy!

As I consider whether or not I will run for mayor in June, the biggest question in my mind is who cares? Not who cares if I run but, who really cares about this village?

Why should I take on a difficult, time consuming and thankless job for $1,000 dollars a year? The answer is that I care and that I believe that there are enough other villagers that care enough to make the job worth doing… and I have an idea, and a request.

I have an idea for a great conspiracy, and I ask you to join me.
It’s a conspiracy of community.
A conspiracy of trust.
A conspiracy of cooperation and giving.
A conspiracy of friendship and respect.
A conspiracy to care.

It may sound silly or naive, but it is the answer to many of our problems, and the foundation of a great future.

It is easy to succumb to the “I don’t trust, I don’t care, so I don’t participate” anarchist mentality. It takes a lot more work to give a little bit, learn a little bit, and then begin to care a lot… because it can change your mind about things… it can also make you feel good, and make you feel a part of our community.

There is an old story about Stone Soup that goes something like this:

A hungry soldier came into a little village and everyone told him that they were out of food. The Soldier borrowed a big kettle, filled it with water, started a fire under it and plunked in two stones. People watching came over and asked “what are you making?”. “Why its stone soup” he replied, “and it would be so much better if we had just one carrot”. Of course someone had one carrot, and someone had one potato, and one stalk of celery until everyone in the village had pitched in—one item—and what started with stones and water became a wonderful stew that everyone shared that night. That stew is a symbol of participation that we can use as a model. A model of the strength that we have to improve our village one little step at a time. For if each of us is ready to give what we can, no matter how little—there will be no end to what we can accomplish and the community that we can build.

If I knew that there were lots of other people who cared like I do, my decision to run would be a lot easier. Come to a meeting to share your good idea or to volunteer a few hours of work—or just call the village hall and tell them that you care! When the time comes, place an informed vote. It will make a difference. Thanks,

—Roy Reehil, Mayor
Village of Cleveland

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Copyright Roy Reehil, 2002