Farm Meeting

From the field to the public forum, the policy period of my work has begun. After four and months of collecting data, I am slowing beginning to learn more about the policy side of planning. The data I have collected will soon become part of a political balancing act, involving lawyers, commissioners, farmers and environmental activists. Here’s a slice of what may be to come:
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Last night was the first public hearing I attended, designed to tell the public about proposed changes to rules regarding agriculture activities and wetland protection. I stood in what I took to be a neutral position, at the door, handing out information packets and helping people sign in. I smiled at people as they came in, despite the fact that many people had sour looks on their faces, as if they expected to be disappointed by what they heard.

One gentleman in a bonafide cowboy hat chatted with me as he signed in, then asked- “You work for the County?” “Yes,” I replied. “Well, sspppppthhhhh!” was his reply, as he made a spitting gesture at me. The virtual spit landed right down the front of my County ID badge, but did not tarnish my pride. I wish I could say that I came up with a wry reply, but I didn’t, and he just walked on.

This symbolic expression of distaste of a symbolic symbol of “government” embodies all of the fear, mistrust and misinformation that exists in the islands. Farmers feel targeted by “unfair” regulations, and they see the culprit of the unfairness as the county government itself. County, after all, is the one coming and telling “us what to do with our land.” The true “culprit” is multifaceted; a mix of State guidelines and legal appeals, but that is only if you see it as an adversarial issue, which it doesn’t have to be. The underlying goal is simple: a healthy environment and clean water for all. Most people support this goal in theory, but when it requires that they make a change in something that they do, they lose sight of the larger goal. Some people want to see the government as “the bad guy” and feel better when an “us against them” dynamic exists (dare I mention the “W” complex?). But government is working to balance the needs of everyone, including the needs of farmers and the rights of private landowners. If everyone is left just a little displeased by the results, then the government must be doing its job. Too bad that its representatives sometimes get the foul side of that displeasure
:)