Dear Editor,

To look at the vast landscape of our nation, we find ourselves asking, “Who shapes this world and for what reasons?” Are all of our natural resources for sale to the richest bidder? Does power corrupt or is power itself corruption? We see nation-wide confusion about the nature of governance, about “journalists” spewing lies for their own profit, about legislators who act for donors and not constituents, and about the apparent helpless citizenry whose goals seem to be entirely irrelevant to the massive engine driving our future.

Looking at the country as a whole, the problems seem unsolvable. On that massive scale, no single political or economic solution applies effectively to all regions concerned. Can the country be solved? Maybe a better way to see this massive unsolvable problem is as a large number of smaller problems, each of which is much simpler, each of which can actually be grasped by our feeble human minds, each of which can actually be tamed and amicably resolved.

Perhaps we should take heart and look at Nederland, our town, as one such understandable and manageable problem. Here in our amiable little town, we few, we community of residents can come together and form a union of respectful differences. We know each other and we know our town and at this small scale, corruption, lies and influence can be identified and corrected. If every town in America were to focus on curating a future for itself of prosperity, stability and respect, the nation as a whole would look much less frightening.

Let’s do that. Let’s recognize that, in this little town, every resident has untapped real power. You are not one out of millions, you are one out of a thousand. I encourage my reader to be the Nederland you want.

If there are a handful of special interests wanting to make Nederland the shopping mall between Boulder and Estes Park, there are a thousand who want weird and quirky Nederland with a revitalized NedFest and a successful Frozen Dead Guy Days. If there are a handful of people who want a Starbucks and a Walmart, there are a thousand who want small innovative shops paying living wages and supporting diversity and the unique spirit of Nederland.

Your participation in town government isn’t a complex and inaccessible process. From your phone or computer you can listen in on town meetings.

You can take your opportunity to speak at those meetings. Even if, from your living room, you suddenly have a new idea, you can speak up and tell the town about it. Most importantly, if you have expertise to contribute, you can run for the Board of Trustees (BOT) and bring that expertise to your community.

This town has always been best served by our clever citizens who have undertaken a time in government to bring their unique solutions to their community. About half of the problems our BOT confronts are gray areas where there is no obvious solution; but, that is the kind of problem that we humans have to confront every day and we humans can pull off some pretty impressive things when challenged.

A new BOT is being elected in April. Do not abandon your power and let others form your future. Advocate for the Nederland you want. Encourage your clever friends to run for office. Be the new Trustee with the fresh take. Vote and exercise your true power to shape a real and sustainable future with your neighbors in your special town.

Julian S. Taylor

Trustee