THE PUBLIC FORUM
4
The Arlington Times • The Marysville Globe
IN OUR VIEW
Community responds T to tragedy in Oso
A
s the extent of the tragedy in Oso as a result of the March 22 mudslide unfolds, our hopes and prayers go out to all those impacted by this horrible event. As of Thursday, March 27, 17 people are confirmed dead, with the number of those listed as missing even higher. These are family members, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and so much more. They were part of our communities, and their loss saddens us greatly. As our thoughts go out to all the victims of the mudslide, we should also express our gratitude to all the first responders, search and rescue units, and volunteers who have been searching in very challenging and dangerous conditions. And as the search continues, many in our communities have felt the need to do something to help those impacted by the Oso mudslide tragedy. Individuals, organizations and businesses have all stepped up and offered to help. Organizations like the Red Cross, United Way and Salvation Army are all providing assistance. Businesses, both large and small, are also helping in a variety of ways. From large businesses like Boeing and Cabela’s, to small, locally owned businesses like Simply Caketastic and One of a Kind Espresso, the number of fundraisers increases daily.
SCOTT FRANK MANAGING EDITOR Both the Tulalip Tribes and the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians have made significant donations to the disaster relief efforts. The Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation also has a disaster fund that is accepting donations. And individuals have stepped up, like those collecting donations at Arlington’s Food Pavilion. And, most importantly, we thank all those who have made donations to these disaster relief efforts. Whether large or small, every donation is needed and appreciated. And every donation will help make a difference in the lives of those impacted by this tragedy. The outpouring of support and caring, and the generosity of our communities is truly amazing, and everyone involved deserves our thanks. Scott Frank is the Managing Editor of The Arlington Times and The Marysville Globe, and can be reached at 360-659-1300, or via email at sfrank@marysvilleglobe.com.
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March 29, 2014
Boys & Girls Club needs to expand
he Arlington Boys & Girls Club has outgrown its facility at the Arlington Airport. When it was built with donated funds, services and materials 25 years ago, who would have thought we would see such a tremendous growth in our community? It seriously needs to be expanded. When my two sons, now 38 and 36, were active in Club sports, it operated out of a store front in downtown Arlington. Rotarian Cal Kinney and others had a vision to build the existing facility. Arlington Rotary pledged $50,000 and then looked for a way to raise the funds. The idea, borrowed from a Club in British Columbia, of a rubber duck race was the answer. The entire community got behind the effort. Besides the funds raised by Rotary, generous donors stepped up. With everyone’s effort, the dream became a reality. But that was 25 years ago, and we have a new need.
GUEST OPINION DALE DUSKIN To see the need, one only needs to visit the Club on a typical busy Saturday. For a while it operated a satellite facility in the old Arlington High School. Because of issues with the facility, it is no longer made available by the school district. Gym space is used all over town and competes with school and AAU teams for practice and game times. The answer to the increased demand is to expand the existing facility. Its current location makes it ideal for serving not only Arlington, but northern Marysville and Lakewood. Plans call for another gymnasium, an expanded teen
center, and game and community rooms. The estimated cost is $1.5 million. We all need to step forward to assist in raising the necessary funds, donating materials and services. The Arlington Rotary Club has pledged a minimum of $50,000 through funds raised by its annual Great Stilly Duck Dash, and we are seeking help from others in the community. The programs offered by the Boys & Girls Club play an important part in making our community a great place to raise our families. After school programs give kids a safe place to hang out. When both parents work, or when there is only a single parent, such programs are essential. Now that my sons are grown up, I want my grandchildren to have the same opportunities. Let’s all step up to this challenge. We got the job done 25 years ago — we can do it again. Join me in pledging your help.
Challenges to leadership in an era of change
W
e were all invited to the Marysville Summit on Education held on March 29 at Marysville Getchell High. Change is the reason we should have attended. The school district has a new superintendent. The county has a new County Exec. Out with the old and in with the new. Newcomers’ decisions will certainly affect our lives, so we share an interest in how they manage the challenges of their jobs. Dealing with big issues would be a cinch if things would just hold still. If they did, a one-size-fits-all motto for success might read, “Do it like it was done before — but better.” Conservatives like that approach better than liberals because they’re a bit more wary of change. Liberals, on the other hand, can be too welcoming of change, sometimes answering challenges with hastily crafted solutions. With Conservatives embracing a past that lacks relevance to modern issues and Liberals attempting to manipulate a future they don’t fully understand, it’s no wonder America is so often disappointed by leaders and their programs. We demand security and comfort. We expect whoever’s in power to lead us along smooth paths, even when the going is unavoidably rough. I’d rate the current crop of governmental leaders at no more than a C-plus, their grades suffering from the old bugaboos of ambition, powerseeking, ideology and blindness to their own shortcomings. Even the best of them find their best intentions weighted down by the baggage of history and an uncertain future. And for that they get unfairly marked as flawed or incompetent. In a sane world they’d probably earn higher marks. These folks were held up as the best at the time of their appointments or elections. If they bring change, some will gain, others lose and the losing is unforgiveable. Some will be
OPINION
BOB GRAEF
painted as demons, not because they lack leadership skills, but because the ground under them changes. Unpredictably. Leadership’s predicament is like this: You plan a road trip. You pick up what you think is a great road map and spend months marking the routes to be traveled, plotting out an itinerary, figuring where to stay and what to see. A few days into the trip you’re surprised that the route you mapped is rough, dangerous and devoid of interesting terrain. What’s happened? Bad planning? A faulty map? You’d marked in freeways to carry you across wide-open spaces. But somehow those marks now spot you on secondary roads while the freeway you thought you’d be traveling runs parallel, about 40 miles to the south. This is a fair comparison with what happens to leaders when a major industry leaves or arrives, when school bonds fail, when an unexpected influx of population hits town or when any of a hundred other impacts upset predictions. The road map of reality changes. Short-sighted critics can’t see that. They figure that a road map for living should be fixed and not bow to change. They don’t realize that they’re stuck in time warps, drawing marching orders from a mythic past that can’t be relived. My boyhood was so pleasant that I’d wish it for my grandchildren if that were possible. There was room for harmony then because, for one reason, America’s population was less than half of what it is now. We can’t go back. Change hits education especially hard. A few generations before my
time, an ambitious person with a taste for healing could digest the 1862 American edition of “Gray’s Anatomy; Descriptive and Surgical,” and become a frontier doctor. Or a literate person with a good suit of clothes and a working knowledge of William Blackstone’s book on English law could claim to be a lawyer. Master a book and you had it made. Compare that with higher education today. A short 30 years ago, public schools were focused on SLOs, or Student Learning Objectives. Wellmeaning dunderheads had figured that the mission of schools was to teach to the lowest common denominator so we dumbed down expectations to what the least of them could accomplish. With expectations set that low, students naturally gravitated to meet the SLO standards. Things had to improve and they did. Parents wanting more for their kids lobbied for charter schools but average scores from the first wave of charter schools were less than spectacular. When charter schools jacked up expectations for student performance beyond those of public schools, test scores soared. Yet many public school parents howl bloody murder when asked to mimic charter school parents’ support for kids’ studies. Reluctant parents were clinging to obsolete roadmaps while their kids’ schools advanced with the times. It’s often change that makes legislative proposals or new curriculum grate on us. Whatever doesn’t resonate with our personal pasts isn’t friendly. But if we’re to work our way through the messes and conflicts of this changing world, we’re going to learn to look ahead, not back, and not be so ready to condemn leaders. And critics should accept that they cannot fully understand issues of change until they get involved. Comments may be addressed to robertgraef@comcast.net.