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OPINION: Pagosa's Self-Esteem Problem |
Mike Stoll | 3/25/08
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Recently I was speaking with someone who said she thought Pagosa Springs suffers from low self-esteem. Maybe she's right.
Like the kid with the disheveled appearance — untidy, unkempt and with a case of acne — the cluttered gateways into our town, empty store fronts, and lunar landscape potholes that dot our roads send a message to resident and visitor alike: We don’t care what we look like or we don’t know how to change our appearance. Either way, our “town esteem” is on display for the world to see.
 My friend’s comment on the perception of esteem reminded me that the proclaimed “self-help guru” Tony Robbins almost came to Pagosa three years ago. If he had, maybe he could have helped us get in touch with the town that we have always wanted to become.
Robbins was in Steamboat Springs, had a few hours in his schedule and decided to see what Pagosa Springs was all about. His representative called to say that Robbins would like to fly to Pagosa and look at “the best of Pagosa real estate” in the hour or two available.
This was prior to the completion of the runway project at Stevens Field. Tony Robbins is a big guy and he flies a big jet …too big for the previous runway to accommodate. The brief window of opportunity drew shut and Robbins flew on to wherever else was next on his itinerary.
Now, I’ve never read any self-help books, firewalked or listened to any Tony Robbins tapes, so I may not be qualified to comment on the idea. But it strikes me that people — or towns — suffering from low esteem might indeed benefit from some constructive self-help or, if you prefer, a bit of self-guided improvement. I would think that getting the best results would require articulating a truly positive vision of what someone — or some town — can become, repeating it like a mantra and following it with commitment.
The provenance of the “vision thing,” as the elder Bush referred to it, is often considered to be a primary facet of leadership. And leadership in a small town is often the province of a few people, both inside and outside of local government. The reality is that a few people can, and often do, make a difference in what a town chooses to be — and the impact of that choice is shared by the entire community.
One seat on the Pagosa Springs Town Council recently changed with the appointment of Mark Weiler to fill the term of the departing John Middendorf. Next month three additional at-large Council seats will be determined in a town-wide election.
The voters of town owe it to themselves and their community to seek out each of the candidates and ask them if they have a positive vision for Pagosa Springs. The candidates owe it to the community to step forward and clearly articulate their vision of Pagosa’s future along with the roadmap for getting there... or for staying put, if that is their choice.
Either way, the decisions made next month will set the course for the town’s immediate future. If Pagosa truly does suffer from low esteem, perhaps this coming election is an opportunity to define a bit of vision and engage in some self-guided improvement. |
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