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Moscow’s good governance

Thanks to both Moscow City Council and Lewiston’s city department heads for modeling good government in the face of disingenuous “anti-government” hostility from a vocal minority of their respective communities. The current Moscow City Council was elected by a wide margin, and is doing a fine job representing the interests and protecting the lives of their constituents during a pandemic that has killed over 200,000 Americans so far.

That a relative handful of city residents object to wearing face masks to prevent the spread of a fatal disease can be attributed either to selfishness or ignorance of basic science, neither of which should be the basis of public policy, obviously. For elected officials to stand up to this kind of organized pressure is commendable, a kind of calm courage and resolve that needs to be recognized and respected. Had we anything approaching this kind of leadership and responsibility in the current White House, I dare say we would be burying far fewer COVID-killed fellow Americans at present.

Likewise, Lewiston’s city department heads standing together in defense of excellent city manager Alan Nygaard is a profile in courage given the organized bullying they have faced from faux libertarians, professional noisemakers and Bundy-wannabes, for whom government is the enemy, specifically when protecting civil rights, public health and the environment, or otherwise promoting the public good.

Finally, hats off the Daily News and Lewiston Trib for having the maturity and restraint not to run the obvious headline, “Nygaard Lightly Scuffs Boots.”

Chris Norden
Moscow

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