South will prevail if north ignores lessons of past

GAZETTE BLOG EDITORIAL

By Jim Keyworth
Gazette Blog Editor
In a recent editorial headlined "County poised to rip off Rim Country," the Payson Roundup takes a position which seems to suggest that it and the high mucky mucks at town hall who it supports will be standing in opposition to Gila County's latest attempt to hijack our rights through the redistricting process.  That's well and good.

What concerns us, as it so often has, is that neither the newspaper nor the public officials have the requisite sense of history to be successful.

Back a decade ago when the issue was last determined, former Payson Mayor Ray Schum waged a mighty battle to promote a fair redistricting plan of his own design.  The Roundup editorial doesn't even mention his name, much less provide any insights into why he failed. 

The Roundup's turnover in the past 10 years has been rather thorough -- a new publisher, three editors, a couple echelons of reporters.  Nobody is left who covered the battle a decade ago.

I was there 10 years ago.  I went to the public meetings.  I covered Schum's efforts for the Roundup.  My stories are in the Roundup's archives.

While the Roundup refuses to acknowledge my existence because I continue to give them a hard time over what I perceive as their journalistic deficiencies, Ray Schum is alive and well.  Friends of his still live in the Rim Country and both information and access are readily available if the Roundup is willing to use some of its considerable resources to do the footwork.

Why does it matter?  Because the county prevailed despite an intelligent and determined opposition waged by Schum.  Because, despite Schum's entreaties and warnings, northern Gila County didn't provide him a lot of support.  Because, as he told me afterward, the consultant hired by Gila County to draw up the gerrymandered plan intentionally skewed his winning recommendation in favor of those who were writing his check - the south.

But most important because it is blatantly wrong and illegitimate for the Gila County Board of Supervisors to be made up of two representatives from Globe and one from the Rim Country when the balance of power has so clearly shifted to the north.  There is so much at stake for the south to maintain the status quo that they will fight dirty and they will fight tenaciously to maintain a stranglehood on Gila County.  They best not be underestimated.

The Roundup closes its naive editorial with the old "Fool me twice, shame on me" quote.  We'd like to respectfully offer another old saw for their consideration: "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."

Let's bring that Edmund Burke quote home to the Rim Country: If the Payson Roundup and others who oppose what the south will try to do to us yet again don't carefully consider what happened 10 years ago, they will most assuredly be fooled once more.

And, since we're in a cliche mode, you can take that to the bank.