As I look around at all the wonderful volunteers doing so many essential duties that make all our lives more secure in case of hardships and more productive in our chosen jobs; keeping our taxes low and our quality of life high; maintaining our economy and our recreation; caring for our seniors as well as our future through our youth; I then wonder why our elected officials tell us they have a hard time finding volunteers for the county and city committees. From my own observations I know that when the county advertises for volunteers in January of each year they don’t ask for any written background information and they don’t talk to them. If they don’t know them, that name is ignored or they contact the current chairman of that committee and ask their opinion, still based on nothing but name recognition. After years of doing this and having talented ‘new’ people apply, I imagine many of them give up volunteering. Is the City doing any better or is it a similar procedure with the same results?

Our governments are not taking advantage of a large reservoir of knowledge out there that could provide a fresh view. Human nature comes into play here: those we get to know are not strangers any more. So how about getting to know those who apply by holding interviews with the applicants? And how about you people out there getting involved? You will have to listen and move away from a perspective of fear and negativity, joining with others of diverse backgrounds and therefore opinions, working together to make our small part of the world a functioning “government of the people, by the people, for the people”.