As a young child growing up in Sheyenne, ND, I remember my dad being a city councilman and for a time the mayor. During this time it was decided that the streets in Sheyenne, which were graveled, would be paved. There was a lot of controversy over this issue, and I remember our telephone lines being very busy with concerned citizens.

At one point I asked my dad why he put up with all the fuss and why didn’t he just quit? He said he was doing what he had to do and that quitting wasn’t a word in his vocabulary. He said we all have a civic responsibility if we want to live in a free country. He was also sure that once the streets were completed the fuss would die down and people would be happy with the decision the council had made. He was doing it to help our town to be a better place to live.

My dad had more patience than anyone else I have ever known then or now. If he were here now I’m sure he would be able to empathize with our Rugby city council. They are the officials we elected to make the decisions for our town to the best of their knowledge and ability. This is done on a volunteer basis with a lot of time and effort going into these decisions.

It’s a good thing to live in a democracy where a citizen’s concerns can be heard and we can have meetings to share them with the city council. Still, we have to remember they, too, are citizens of Rugby and have the best interests of all of us at heart. Thank you, Mayor Niewoehner and City Councilmen, for all of your hard work and patience.

Sattler is a Rugby resident.