An interesting question posed to me this week is what effect the Trump administration will have on the Haines Borough.
Trump represents a significant departure from established party politics in the United States, and has never before served in office. His political views are all over the map, and seem to change from day to day.
That makes predictions difficult.
One possible benefit of a Trump presidency is a refocusing of national priorities on domestic affairs. Trump has said he intends to shift focus to our problems here at home.
Maybe the new president would resume the federal revenue sharing program, which returned some of your federal taxes right back to this community. It helped towns all over the country pay for things like senior bus service and additional police officers.
“It affected more local governments than any federal program in history and was the only federal assistance given to most cities with fewer than 10,000 residents,” according to a Jan. 31, 1987 New York Times story.
After 14 years, federal revenue sharing was eliminated in 1987 by former president Ronald Reagan. But why shouldn’t some of your federal taxes be spent directly helping your community?
Trump could make some fast points with his supporters in the heartland by resurrecting this program. Voters who dislike having their tax dollars spent on aid to foreign countries could get behind it. Perhaps someone should put a bug in Trump’s ear. Even a limited program could help our town.
In one area, I believe, Trump may have already hurt us. By making insulting and hateful remarks, he has eroded our standards for civil discourse. This is serious because what happens at the top in our society tends to trickle down even to small towns like Haines.
Being civil with one another is the bedrock of civilization. It allows people with differing opinions to work together and resolve questions and common problems.
It’s understandable that citizens get angry and sometimes say hurtful or hateful things. Passion is the fuel of politics, but too much fuel can burn down the whole house. In this way, elected leaders are akin to the burner in your furnace: They need to regulate the fuel, keeping the house warm, but not too hot.
I boiled over this week in response to two Facebook posts attacking me, including one that used profanity.
The more civil of the two emails called for my recall as a response to my attempt to get the harbor project design on the ballot. A fisherman wrote, “Tom Morphet and Heather Lende need to get recalled!!!! Support tour fisherman!!!”
I posted a snarky response: “What’s a tour fisherman?”
My response was a mistake that only served to further anger an upset constituent. I have since apologized to the fisherman. It’s not the role of elected leaders to attack the electorate. It’s our job to attack ideas and proposals we believe aren’t in the best interest of the borough. And to promote good ones.
As an elected leader, I will strive to maintain good relations with residents. At the very least, when debate gets hot, I pledge to be civil.
Avoiding inflammatory rhetoric and keeping our town’s politics civil may be the most important thing we can do. We must be able to speak with one another to keep our town and society together. For elected leaders, it’s absolutely essential.
I wish Mr. Trump luck, and pray that he – and all of us who hold the privilege of power –act with wisdom and humility.