My routine procedure on a Thursday afternoon is generally along the lines of, first, making sure that The Chronicle has been delivered into my rural mailbox and then — after settling comfortably in my lift chair — nonchalantly thumbing my way through it.
OK, so I'm really just making sure on Thursdays that my column hadn't been somehow overlooked when the paper went to press.
Last Thursday, though, I was soon stopped on page two when an article about something I have many times mentioned in these columns finally appeared: the filling of a position on the Centralia City Council by a member of the Hispanic community.
It was past time already for this to have happened, but now, maybe, the door has been opened for more accurate representations of our city.
First of all, my admiration goes to Adrianna Garibay for believing that she had a chance to bridge a long-held barrier and, secondly, to the council for the five to nothing vote along that line by the current members.
It was about time.
Population statistics have changed over recent years. Our area now has less diversity than the average in Washington state. But still, over the years, there've been many divisions between our two communities and it'll take a while before we come up with all the solutions.
But there has been some improvement.
In my mind, employment and education are tied together as being the main causes of separation up until now. Many Hispanic families live in their own tight communities, perhaps to share common traditions but, also, it might be partially due to economic reasons such as not being able to afford some areas. Although, they're not alone on that.
Thankfully there are many success stories of Hispanic citizens in our area with their ownership of stores, restaurants and other types of businesses. But there are some who can't afford home purchases because they don't have the training or education to hold down better paying jobs. In recent years, some schools, such as Edison Elementary, have had valuable support programs. Eventually, more of our kids will be able to graduate from high school and college, but it won't happen with the snap of a finger.
I base my concerns for a good reason. In my previous role as "Marryin' Sam" (and real oldtimers will remember who I'm referring to with that title), I became friendly with many families and learned that the gap between us was really only a short step.
With all the hullabaloo about the expiration of Title 42, I see a barrier developing that could well hinder the rise in living conditions for those who now live alongside us, and that includes the hundreds of thousands of seekers of a better life who are swarming across the river down south.
They'll be tempted to accept far lower salaries for jobs already held by others, thereby hindering the latter in their own search for a better way of life they've already begun to achieve. Even though I claim to be a liberal, I'm also conservative enough to not want others to give up a way of life that's already been earned.
Change of topic: I'm somewhat surprised that I've never received a single word of either approval or condemnation for questioning some of the practices that I see being carried out these days by Twin Transit.
I was reminded of this recently when I came across an old card that granted me free rides in the system because I had achieved the age of 70. That card is now worthless. I can only imagine they were discontinued because it was a bad practice to give out anything for free back then when any new bus wasn't considered affordable.
Instead, we're now being given the opportunity to travel outside the stated, legally established boundaries of Twin Transit to other cities, from Olympia all the way down to Kelso.
I can't help but wonder if giving such an opportunity for those outside our county is less or more cost effective than granting a free ride to those local riders who had become septuagenarians.
When the original ballot measure creating Twin Transit was voted on and approved by a majority of citizens in both Centralia and Chehalis, it clearly described the boundary of its operation.
So, to me, there's an inconsistency somewhere. What's new? Do we attempt to look at the situation and change it to fit modern conditions or just wink and look the other way?
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Bill Moeller is a former entertainer, mayor, bookstore owner, city council member, paratrooper and pilot living in Centralia. He can be reached at bookmaven321@comcast.net.
