By Stevensville Mayor Brandon Dewey
Our community is going through a lot right now. As we combat the spread of COVID-19 in Ravalli County, we are faced with a lineup of challenges. While there is little we can do about some of those challenges with some variables outside of our control, we should pause to sharpen our focus and be as successful as we can in addressing the challenges of this situation where together we do have some influence.
We are engaged in heated debates with our neighbors about the best response to the Coronavirus Pandemic. We find ourselves questioning the legitimacy of the disease, and who we should trust when authorities speak to how it is treated and mitigated. It has become clear that in our community one of the most heated debates is that of mask wearing. It may not come as a surprise that my recent letter to officials at Stevensville Schools seeking the reconsideration of a mask requirement for students returning to school this fall caught the attention of many. Perhaps more so than the board’s decision itself. Since that decision and my letter, I have overwhelmingly heard from many in our community. I can tell you that the input provided has been either strongly in favor of masks where social distancing cannot be implemented, or strongly opposed to masks altogether. Both sides of the issue are also equally represented in their feedback to me. Both sides are, for the most part, equally justified in their arguments too.
My letter was not intended as a personal attack on the volunteer citizens who serve on the school board. They, like the rest of us in elected positions, are sometimes faced with impossible decisions. Their decision to not require masks in school caused a surge of reaction in our community amongst a group of parents, students, teachers, and citizens that felt little recourse but to reach out to other local representation. The board, and the community, deserved to know the position I took on the issue. I felt that the school’s decision, no matter how educated or well-intended it may have been, did little to reinforce the measures that other officials with the State and locally were implementing to protect the community from further spread of COVID-19.
Today, that issue is still a charged discussion amongst us. This dialogue, albeit oftentimes unpleasant, has led me to the conclusion that we all need to take a few steps back and breathe. The last thing our community needs is the leadership amongst various authorities being divided on issues that should instead unite us. You have my apology if anyone felt that division was the intent of my letter to school officials.
So, how does the community address its differences going forward? We find ourselves at a dynamic crossroads where there are many issues that have the potential to break us down and divide us. Does a divided community speak to the character and heritage of Stevensville? As we partner with other stakeholders to handle the pandemic in the face of the fear and uncertainty we are experiencing, we should keep these questions at the front of our minds in these important discussions.
Know that my approach to the issues discussed will be more thorough and deliberate going forward. You deserve that from your elected leadership. We should not be hastily implementing plans based on politized information or because the louder crowd said so, but instead be carefully taking time to consider evidence and strategies. You will see this demonstrated in future meetings of the Town Council, as we discuss how the Town of Stevensville, with its partners, moves forward through this. On Thursday night, you will not see a knee-jerk mandate from the Town Council requiring that masks be worn throughout the community. Instead, I hope for a meaningful dialogue that considers the health of the overall community first, rather than putting any personal beliefs or agendas into play. We are tasked as decision makers to provide outcomes that yield the best results for the most people. Please be patient with us, and with each other.
I embolden everyone to be thoughtful as you interact with others in our community. Be kind to one another and considerate of different viewpoints. Many of us may feel passionate one way or another on an array of issues today, but we should do our best in simply explaining our position when given the opportunity, rather than proclaiming why others should believe the same theories that we do. It is okay to have differences, but it is not okay to shame or bring hate into what is already an emotional time for many. We should not resort to judging others based on what may be trivial decisions or an abundance of caution right now. Build each other up, show grace, and reinforce what makes this community the place we all chose to be. Take a deep breath, with or without a mask, and we will get through this together as one Stevensville.
“Be devoted to one another in love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.” –Romans 12:10
Dawn says
You are so full of yourself dewey. You talk nice but your actions say other things, Nicole Court and Burnt Fork which needs to go through PlanningBoard. Did not happen. You just kind of do the opposite of what you say or write. You are NOT my mayor and never will be. You do not work for the citizens! You and only you have made Stevi a joke..